SEOUL: North Korea launched an unidentified projectile off its west coast Tuesday, according to South Korea’s military.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff provided no further details regarding the nature or destination of the projectile.

This recent development follows another launch on April 19th, where multiple short-range missiles were fired in what state-media described as a demonstration of cluster bomb warheads.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has focused on expanding his nuclear and missile arsenals since nuclear diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019.

Trump expressed repeated willingness to return to talks with Kim, but Pyongyang has consistently disregarded these overtures, demanding that Washington drop its precondition for disarmament as a prerequisite for dialogue.

Tensions have escalated between North Korea and South Korea, with Kim declaring the latter his country’s permanent and most hostile enemy.

This hard-line stance comes amidst stalled diplomacy and rising tensions concerning nuclear ambitions.