Should North Korea's missile launches be viewed as tests or diplomacy?

Each country fired two ground-to-air missiles in a show of strength after North Korea conducted its farthest-ever missile test, which caused evacuations in Japan.

North Korea's latest spate of missile launches has put its neighbours on edge. The barrage of weapons tests includes one that flew over Japan in the longest-ever recorded distance, capable of reaching the US territory of Guam.

The Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War (Victory Day) is a national holiday in North Korea celebrated on July 27 to mark the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement which brought a cease fire to the Fatherland Liberation War that took place between 1950–1953.

North Korea says missile launches were nuclear attack simulation on South. North Korea says its recent barrage of missile launches were a "simulation" of a nuclear attack on the South. It comes as intelligence suggests North Korea is preparing to hold its first nuclear weapon test in five years.

North Korea fired at least 23 missiles into the sea on Wednesday, including one that landed less than 60 km (40 miles) off South Korea's coast, which South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol described as "territorial encroachment" and Washington denounced as "reckless".

North Korea has fired 26 missiles in two days as the regime demands the attention of neighbors and the US. International observers fear that a seventh nuclear test at the Punggye-ri proving grounds could follow.

Some analysts fear North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is building up to another nuclear test. That's prompted one South Korean to take civil protection into his own hands.

Pyongyang said it was not involved in arms dealings with Russia, and had no plans to do so. The US previously indicated North Korea was supplying Russia with artillery shells for its war in Ukraine.

Some analysts fear North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is building up to another nuclear test. That's prompted one South Korean to take civil protection into his own hands.

North Korea has fired a missile towards the Sea of Japan, the South Korean military has said. Pyongyang promised a "fiercer" response to the US presence in the region.

At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the US led condemnation of North Korea's recent missile tests. However, the council did not impose new sanctions or even give a formal statement.