North Korea Continues Missile Tests Amid US Carrier Deployment

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern waters on Monday, marking its seventh missile event this month. The launches came a day before the American aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its strike group are to arrive at the South Korean port of Busan for military exercises with South Korea. The South Korean and Japanese militaries denounced the North’s latest launches as serious provocations threatening regional peace and violating U.N. Security Council resolutions. North Korea has fired more than 20 ballistic and cruise missiles across 11 launch events this year as it tries to force the United States to accept its nuclear status and negotiate a removal of sanctions from a position of strength.