SEOUL — North Korea launched two ballistic missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, the country’s first ballistic missile test in six months and a violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions that ban the country from conducting such tests.
The launch occurred a day after the special envoy from the United States urged North Korea to resume nuclear disarmament talks, saying that Washington had no “hostile” intent toward Pyongyang. North Korea conducted its last ballistic missile test in March. Over the weekend, it test-fired what it called newly developed long-range cruise missiles.
The resumption of missile tests by North Korea came as neighboring countries stepped up efforts to get Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table. North Korea uses weapons tests to both improve its missile technology and increase its leverage with Washington.
South Korean and…
