North Korea stays quiet on missile launches

Seoul: North Korean state media remained silent early Monday morning on the country's latest missile launches.

The Korean Central News Agency made no mention of Sunday's launch of two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, fired hours apart.

North Korea has typically reported its missile tests the following day, though that pattern has grown inconsistent in recent months.

Three missile launches last month were not reported at all, while a September 12 launch, which came a day after South Korea, the United States and Japan wrapped up a trilateral military exercise, was reported two days later, reports Yonhap news agency.

North Korea on Sunday launched two missiles from the Wonsan area, roughly three hours apart -- the first around 3:00 p.m. and the second at roughly 5:50 p.m. -- South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The first flew about 450 km, while the second travelled more than 600 km, according to the JCS.

The launches came ahead of the UN General Assembly's high-level general debate, slated to open Tuesday (US time), and the upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington this Thursday.

They appear aimed at signalling to the Trump administration that it has no intention of curbing its military buildup.

They also came two days after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, condemned the US-led multinational Pacific Vanguard maritime drills, vowing a response in kind or one that's more forceful.

Pyongyang has ramped up criticism of key regional military exercises involving Seoul, Washington and Japan.

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