NOT BACKING DOWN

North Korea Tests Mid-Range Ballistic Missile

After refusing to hold dialogue with the U.S. until it gives up on “hostile policy.”

North Korea has fired a mid-range ballistic missile in its latest test launch, South Korean and U.S. authorities said Sunday. The missile was fired from Pukchang in the country’s South Phyongan Province and landed in the Sea of Japan, according to the U.S. Pacific Command. It flew about 310 miles, showing a shorter range than the missiles used in Pyongyang’s most recent test launches. “South Korea and the United States are closely analyzing the launch for further information. Our military is closely monitoring the North Korean military for any further provocation and maintaining readiness to respond,” South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staffs said in a statement. The test launch comes after Pyongyang said on Friday that it would not be prepared to hold joint talks over its nuclear program until the U.S. drops its “hostile policy” toward the country. The U.S. has been pushing China to use its influence over Pyongyang to put a halt to the country’s nuclear ambitions, with South Korea and Japan also calling for measures to be taken in response to a spate of recent missile tests. North Korea prompted widespread alarm last weekend, when it said a medium-long-range missile it tested was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.