North Korea sends message with 'projectile' launch

South Korea's military confirmed that North Korea fired multiple "unidentified short-range projectiles" into the sea on Saturday, NBC News reports.

South Korea initially described the projectiles as missiles, but later offered a more general description of what was launched. The military confirmed the objects were not ballistic missiles. The projectiles reportedly traveled between 43 and 124 miles.

Analysts believe the launch, which comes on the heels of North Korea's April test of what it called a tactical guided weapons system, is an attempt to pressure the United States into offering more concessions in negotiations surrounding ending North Korea's nuclear weapons arsenal. Talks between the two sides in February stalled following a meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

South Korea urged its northern neighbor to cease testing its weapons.

"It is a message that [North Korea] could return to the previous confrontational mode if there is no breakthrough in the stalemate," Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum, told Reuters.

Trump was reportedly "fully briefed" on the launch and the United States is monitoring the situation.