North Korea Fires Projectile Toward Yellow Sea Amid Nuclear Talks

N. Korea fires unidentified projectile toward Yellow Sea: S. Korean Media

Seoul, May 26

According to the news agency, the S. Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it was analysing details of the launch. Further details are awaited.

Earlier, in April, North Korea confirmed that it had successfully test-fired upgraded tactical ballistic missiles equipped with cluster warheads, an exercise personally overseen by leader Kim Jong Un.

According to a Kyodo News report citing the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a total of five "Hwasongpho-11 Ra surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missiles struck the target area about 136 kilometres away" during the Sunday drills.

This demonstration of military hardware was detected by neighbouring monitors, though initial assessments of the launch platform varied. While Pyongyang identified the projectiles as land-based, authorities in Japan and South Korea noted that several short-range missiles originated from the Sinpo region.

The South Korean military further suggested at that time that the weapons "may have been submarine-launched" given the coastal location of the site.

Notably, North Korea is not a signatory to the "Convention on Cluster Munitions that prohibits all use, production, transfer and stockpiling of the weapons that scatter submunitions over a wide area." While a global consensus has seen upwards of 120 nations sign this international treaty, several major powers, including North Korea, Iran, Israel, and the United States, remain outside the agreement.

The development comes as Washington and Tehran continue to engage in ceasefire negotiations. US President Donald Trump said that Iran's enriched Uranium (Nuclear dust) will be "turned over" to the US to be destroyed or will be destroyed at an acceptable location.

Trump said this decision will be taken in "conjunction and collaboration" with Iran, signalling Tehran's relaxing its stand as the two countries attempt to reach a peace agreement.

"The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event," Trump said in a post Truth Social.

A US official noted that the presence of an Iranian delegation in Qatar on Monday, including senior members of Tehran's negotiating team, was viewed as a positive development, citing Qatar's role as a mediator in facilitating dialogue, CNN reported.

Earlier, Trump had asserted that any forthcoming accord with Tehran would strictly manifest as a "great and meaningful" deal, or the administration would walk away entirely, as diplomatic talks aimed at officially concluding the conflict continue to stretch out.

Articulating his stance on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump made it clear that the prospective pact remains unfinished, cautioning that it would only materialise if it satisfies his specific criteria.

— ANI