North and South Korea test ballistic missiles

With negotiations stalled over the fate of North Korea’s nuclear program, tensions with its southern neighbor are rising. The communist country tested two short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, two days after it claimed to fire a newly developed cruise missile, its first weapons test in six months. South Korea responded a few hours later by conducting its first underwater-launched ballistic missile test. It said the missile flew from a submarine and hit its designated target.

Why the escalation now? North Korea wants to pressure the United States to end sanctions against it because of its nuclear program. Talks between the two nations broke down in 2019, when former President Donald Trump rejected the North’s demand for sanctions relief in exchange for dismantling an aging nuclear facility. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has so far rejected the Biden administration’s overtures for dialogue.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Angela Lu Fulton’s report on pastors and activists who launch balloons carrying information and Bibles into North Korea.