North Korea Fires Missile Into East Sea 

(Bloomberg) -- North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea, marking the fourth launch of projectiles this month as the rest of the world grapples with the Covid-19 outbreak.

The suspected missiles, fired from the eastern coast city of Wonsan toward a northeastern direction around 6:10 a.m., flew around 230 kilometers and reached as high as 30 kilometers, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message, adding that other detailed intelligence is under analysis with the U.S. forces.

“This kind of military action is extremely inappropriate, particularly at a time when the entire world is undergoing difficulties of the coronavirus outbreak,” the South Korean military said, asking Pyongyang to immediately stop provocation.

South Korea’s national-security team has convened an emergency video conference with the spy agency and the military, the presidential Blue House said in a separate text message.

Japan’s coast guards said the missiles likely fell outside its exclusive economic zone.

The string of launches in March broke a three-month lull in testing and represents Kim Jong Un’s first such provocations after saying on Dec. 31 that he was no longer bound by a self-imposed freeze on major weapons tests. Kim spent much of last year threatening to take a “new path” in nuclear talks with the U.S. in 2020, if President Donald Trump didn’t make a more appealing offer.

Kim is also facing a domestic challenge from the coronavirus, which could overwhelm his country’s antiquated and underfunded medical system. North Korea is sandwiched between countries which have some of the highest infections -- China and South Korea.

“North Korea’s recent spate of launches is not as significant a provocation as if Kim Jong Un had rolled out the new ‘strategic weapon’ he promised at the beginning of the year,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “Pyongyang may accept international assistance under the banner of ‘global health cooperation’ after Kim uses missile tests and propaganda about domestic ‘anti-epidemic’ measures to assert a position of political strength.”

While North Korea’s secretive government hasn’t disclosed a single confirmed coronavirus case, state media has reported for weeks about measures the government has taken to prevent local outbreaks. Kim has sealed off the borders in response, a move that cut off a trickle of trade and foreign tourism into the country.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.