N. Korea fires unidentified projectile toward East Sea: S. Korean military

By Song Sang-ho and Kang Yoon-seung

SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired an unidentified projectile toward the East Sea Sunday, South Korea's military said, in the recalcitrant regime's seventh show of force this year.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced the launch in a text message sent to reporters. It did not elaborate.

Pyongyang has been ratcheting up tensions with a series of missile launches since the start of this year as Washington has stepped up sanctions pressure amid a protracted deadlock in nuclear talks between the two countries.

The North fired what it claims to be surface-to-surface tactical guided missiles on Thursday, just two days after its apparent long-range cruise missile test.

The North conducted four other launches this month, including those of self-proclaimed hypersonic missiles on Jan. 5 and 11.

The recent bouts of the North's saber-rattling also came as it seeks to tighten up internal unity amid the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and persistent economic woes stemming from debilitating sanctions.

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