The United States called on North Korea today to stop its “destabilizing” actions and resume diplomacy after Pyongyang fired hundreds of projectiles into the Yellow Sea near remote South Korean islands.

“We call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to refrain from any further provocations, destabilizing actions and to resume diplomacy,” said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

“We specifically ask the DPRK to engage in meaningful discussions to find ways to manage military risks and achieve sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he added.

“As we have repeated many times, the US has no hostile intent towards” North Korea, he stressed.

Pyongyang said today that its missile launch near two South Korean islands was “a natural response and a countermeasure” to military exercises conducted by Seoul, North Korea’s KCNA news agency reported.

The US is an ally of South Korea where its troops are stationed there.

North Korea has repeatedly rejected offers to hold dialogue with Joe Biden’s administration.

The North Korean leader had met former President Donald Trump three times, but meetings that did not result in a viable agreement.