North Korea test fires two ballistic missiles into Sea of Japan, South Korea says

Seoul — North Korea test fired two short-range missiles Thursday, South Korea’s military said, the latest in a string of banned weapons tests carried out by Pyongyang so far this year. The missile launches drew a united rebuke from the U.S., South Korea and Japan, which jointly condemned them and said they showed the threat that North Korea’s “unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs pose to the region.” The trilateral statement reflected the growing thaw between Japan and South Korea — a major foreign policy goal of President Joe Biden’s administration as it strengthens alliances in a…