North Korea missile launch tests Biden, alarms Japan ahead of Olympics

FILE PHOTO: Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, attends a meeting with Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, chairwoman of Vietnam's National Assembly, at the National Assembly in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Friday, March 1, 2019. SeongJoon Cho/Pool via Reuters

SEOUL/TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea launched two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan on Thursday, underscoring steady progess in its weapons programme and ramping up pressure on the new U.S. administration as it reviews North Korea policy.

The apparent tests were reported by authorities in the United States, South Korea, and Japan, and coincided with the start of the Olympic torch relay in Japan.