As South Korea battles coronavirus, North Korea fires two projectiles into Sea of Japan

North Korea on Saturday fired two projectiles, speculated to be short-range ballistic missiles on Saturday.

The missiles were launched on Saturday from Pyongan province towards the East Sea. These missile launched were part of firing drills started earlier this month.

South Korea's Joint Chief of Staff said it was monitoring the situation, and termed the launches as "extremely inappropriate", as the world was through the coronavirus crisis.

The South Korean military stated that the missiles flew for 410km, at a maximum altitude of around 50km.

Japan's coast guard ratified the development, citing that the missile landed outside the waters of its exclusive economic zone.

The event shows North Korea's President Kim Jong-un's steadfastness amidst calls from the United States and China for negotiations to end its nuclear programees.

The timing of the missile launches can also be brought into question, as its bordering countries are currently reeling from the coronavirus outbreak. North Korea shares its borders with China--the epicenter of the outbreak, and South Korea--where the pandemic claimed the lives of more than 100 people.

It might be interesting to note that North Korea has still not reported a single positive case of coronavirus. However, experts refute the development, as it shares its borders with China-the worst affected COVID-19 country.