SEOUL, 18 January 2022, (TON): North Korea fired two suspected ballistic missiles Monday, Seoul said “its fourth weapons test this month as Pyongyang flexes its military muscle while ignoring offers of talks from the United States.”

Despite biting international sanctions, Pyongyang has conducted a string of weapons tests this year, including of hypersonic missiles, as leader Kim Jong Un pursues his avowed goal of further strengthening the military.

Reeling economically from a self-imposed coronavirus blockade, impoverished North Korea has not responded to Washington’s offers of talks, while doubling down on weapons tests and vowing a “stronger and certain” response to any attempts to rein it in.

The launches come at a delicate time in the region, with North Korea’s sole major ally China set to host the Winter Olympics next month and South Korea gearing up for a presidential election in March.

Two suspected “short-range ballistic missiles” were fired east from an airport in Pyongyang early Monday, the South Korean military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, with Japan also confirming the launch.

The JCS added “fired just before 9 am (0000 GMT), they flew 380 kilometers (about 240 miles) at an altitude of 42 km.”