South Korean military says North Korea fired 'unidentified projectile' into sea

File footage of a North Korean missile launch airs on South Korean TV.

(Image credit: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images)

North Korea fired an "unidentified projectile" toward its eastern sea on Tuesday morning, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced. Earlier in September, North Korea began performing tests of ballistic and cruise missiles for the first time in six months.

The launch took place in an inland region, and is now being analyzed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence. Japan's Defense Ministry said the projectile may have been a ballistic missile.

Over the weekend, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said her country is open to restarting talks with South Korea if Seoul drops its "hostile policies" and "double-dealing standards." Some experts believe North Korea, which is dealing with a food shortage amid the pandemic, is hoping South Korea will be able to negotiate relief from U.S. sanctions, The Associated Press reports. The U.S. has said sanctions will remain in place until North Korea takes real action toward denuclearization.

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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.