Japan says North Korea ballistic missile launch threatens peace

FILE PHOTO: North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un addresses the first short course for chief secretaries of the city and county Party committees in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released March 7, 2021 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS

SEOUL/TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan on Thursday, Japan's prime minister said, fuelling tensions ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and ramping up pressure on the new Biden administration in Washington.

North Korea's ballistic missiles are banned under United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and if the launch is confirmed it would represent a new challenge to President Joe Biden's efforts to engage with Pyongyang, which have so far been rebuffed.