N. Korea fires missiles in second such test in a week

Experts say tests could be linked to nation's alleged supplying of weapons to Russia

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North Korea fired a salvo of short-range ballistic missiles early on Sept 18, Seoul's military said, Pyongyang's second such weapons test in a week.

Leader Kim Jong Un's regime has staged dozens of launches in 2024, part of a testing spree that experts say could be linked to North Korea's alleged illicit supplying of weapons to ally Russia for use in Ukraine.

Pyongyang has denied any sanctions-busting weapons trade with Russia, but with diplomacy long stalled, it declared South Korea its "principal enemy" in 2024 and recently moved nuclear-capable weapons to border areas.

The launch follows North Korea's recent dispatch of its Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui to Moscow - a key supporter of Mr Kim's regime - for her second visit in less than a year.

The North is also preparing for a parliamentary meeting in October that is expected to approve measures likely to escalate tensions with South Korea, including incorporating the hostile relationship between the two Koreas into its Constitution.