VietJoy

SEOUL - Updated: Aug. 9, 2019, 7:09 p.m.

North Korea has launched another round of projectiles into the sea off its east coast, its fifth such test in just over two weeks, according to South Korea's military.

The launch came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he received another "beautiful letter" from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and reiterated he isn't concerned about Pyongyang's short-range ballistic missiles tests.

South Korea's military says the projectiles were fired from near the Hamhung area in eastern North Korea. It isn't clear how far the weapons traveled.

North Korea has regularly launched short-range ballistic missiles into the sea the past two months. Pyongyang is angry about the resumption of joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises that began Monday.

Trump said Kim's latest letter expressed displeasure about the "war games."

"And as you know, I've never liked it either," Trump told reporters Friday. "I've never liked it. I've never been a fan. You know why? I don't like paying for it. We should be reimbursed for it."

Trump earlier this week announced in a tweet that South Korea had agreed to pay "substantially" more for the cost of U.S. troops in South Korea.

South Korea refuted that allegation, saying cost-sharing negotiations with the United States have not yet begun.

Trump has long criticized U.S. allies, including South Korea, Japan and others, for not paying enough for U.S. protection.

"I said, 'Do this,' because this was a big test. This was a turnover of various areas to South Korea. I like that because it should happen," Trump said.

The U.S., which has about 28,500 troops in South Korea, this week resumed joint military drills with South Korea, despite Pyongyang's protests.

The latest U.S.-South Korean drills are aimed in part at testing South Korea's ability to retake operational control from the U.S. during wartime.

U.S.-South Korea military exercises have been scaled back in an effort to support the Trump-Kim diplomacy. But North Korea remains unhappy with the drills, warning it may soon resume nuclear and longer-range missile tests.

North Korea has said it will give the U.S. until the end of the year to change its approach to the talks, which are stalled yet again. Kim wants the U.S. to relax sanctions and provide security guarantees.

Trump and Kim have met three times since last June, but have failed to make any progress toward dismantling North Korea's nuclear program.

At their first meeting in Singapore, the two agreed to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. But neither side can agree on what denuclearization means or how to begin working toward it.

At a second summit in Vietnam in February, Trump and Kim disagreed over how to pair sanctions relief with steps to dismantle North Korea's nuclear program.

Trump and Kim held a third meeting in late June at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, where Kim allegedly agreed to revive working-level talks. Since then, North Korean officials have refused to meet their U.S. counterparts.

On Friday, Trump suggested a fourth meeting could come soon.

"I think we'll have another meeting," Trump said.