South Korea says North Korea launched 2 unidentified projectiles

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

published 2 March 2020

North Korea on Monday fired two unidentified projectiles, the South Korean military said, in the country's first known weapons test of 2020.

The projectiles were launched near Wonsan, and landed in the sea. At the beginning of the year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would soon unveil a new "strategic weapon," and would no longer suspend its testing of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

There is speculation that Monday's test is a way of showing the country has not been hindered by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, The Associated Press reports. North Korean state media has not confirmed any cases of COVID-19 in the country, but has suggested there are people who have been quarantined after showing symptoms. North Korea has prohibited tourists from entering the country and has shut down nearly all border traffic.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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