S. Korea’s Moon Urges N. Korea for Dialogue after Missile Test

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on North Korea to make efforts for dialogue after Pyongyang launched a suspected ballistic missile into the sea in its first show of force this year.

"This morning, North Korea test-fired an unidentified short-range projectile," Moon said in a groundbreaking ceremony for a railway at an inter-Korean border town.

"Because of this, there are concerns that tensions could rise and the stalemate in inter-Korean relations could further deepen."

In order to fundamentally overcome this situation, Moon asserted that the South should not give up on dialogue.

"North Korea also should make efforts in a more earnest manner," he said.

South Korea's military stated that North Korea fired what is presumed to be a ballistic missile toward the East Sea earlier in the day.

Notably, it marks the North's first launch since the regime fired off a new submarine-launched ballistic missile in October last year.