North Korea fires two missiles into the sea as Kim Jong Un travels in Russia for meeting with Putin

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired two ballistic missiles toward the sea Wednesday, as leader Kim Jong Un rolled through Russia on an armored train toward a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. That meeting underscores how the two leaders’ interests are aligning in the face of their separate, intensifying confrontations with the United States. The launch extended a highly provocative run in North Korean weapons testing since the start of 2022, as Kim used the distraction caused by Putin’s war on Ukraine to accelerate his weapons development. South Korea and Japan confirmed the launch Wednesday. Kim’s meeting with Putin underscores how the interests between Moscow and Pyongyang are aligning in the face of their separate, intensifying confrontations with the United States.