North Korea and the United States announced Tuesday that they will hold working-level nuclear talks sometime next week, which would be the first such dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang since a bilateral summit in February ended without a deal.

North Korea's state news agency said in a statement that the two sides agreed to have "preliminary contact" on October 4, and hold negotiations the next day. US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus later confirmed the talks, but did not specify an exact time or location.

After the talks were announced Tuesday evening, the South Korean military reported that "short-range projectiles" were launched Wednesday morning from the North Korean port city Wonsan.

Japan condemns launch

A Japanese government spokesperson said one of the projectiles landed in Japanese waters off of Shimane Prefecture in the country's southwest.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would hold a meeting of its National Security Council over a response to the launches.

"The launch of ballistic missiles violates UN Security Council resolutions. We sternly lodge a protest over the launch and strongly condemn it," said Abe.

"We will do the utmost to protect the safety of the people and stay on high alert while coordinating with the United States and the international community," he added.

Missiles and talks

The short-range launch would be the ninth by North Korea since US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had an impromptu meeting at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas in June.

Read more: Opinion: Donald Trump strolls through Kim Jong Un's North Korean minefield

The missile tests are widely seen as a strategy by Pyongyang to show its expanded military capabilities to gain leverage ahead of any new negotiations with the US.

In September, Pyongyang said it had tested a "super-large multiple rocket launcher" system, shortly after signaling it was ready to resume talks.

Trump and Kim agreed to new nuclear negotiations at the DMZ meeting, however progress has stalled due to North Korea's anger at joint US-South Korea military drills.

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea Third Kim-Trump meeting It was the third meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in just over a year. The first Trump-Kim summit took place in Singapore in June last year. A meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, was held in February 2019. Both meetings failed to provide a clear roadmap for North Korea's denuclearization.

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea Making history Trump made history on June 30 with his latest encounter with Kim. He's the first sitting US president to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides South and North Korea. Trump briefly crossed into North Korea as he shook hands with Kim. He said he was "proud to step over the line."

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea Watching over the North Prior to his meeting with Kim, Trump flew to the DMZ with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The US president met with South Korean and American troops as he watched over North Korea from a military post in the DMZ. US presidents in the past have visited American troops on the South Korean side but not set foot in the DMZ.

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea 'Great friendship' From calling Kim Jong Un "little rocket man" to someone he has a "certain chemistry" with, Trump has come a long way in his dealing with North Korea. On June 30, he once again emphasized his personal ties with the North Korean dictator. Kim, too, hailed his "wonderful" relationship with Trump, saying the latest meeting would enable nuclear talks.

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea 'In no rush' Washington and Pyongyang blame each other for the impasse over nuclear talks, but Trump is hopeful for a breakthrough. Although his previous two meetings with the North Korean leader didn't yield any result, Trump said he was "in no rush" to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

'Handshake for peace' – Trump crosses into North Korea Regime survival Experts have warned that North Korea may never agree to fully give up its nuclear ambitions, which they say Pyongyang views as vital for regime survival. In March, new satellite imagery suggested that North Korea started rebuilding a rocket launch site before Kim and Trump's Vietnam summit in Feruary. The site had been dismantled last year as part of Kim's denuclearization pledge. Author: Shamil Shams



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wmr/se (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)