Peninsula talks only way to end circle of hostility

Two days after the Republic of Korea and the United States began their annual military exercises to the south of the Korean Peninsula, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile on Wednesday.

The missile, fired from near the coastal city of Sinpo, reportedly flew about 500 kilometers before it fell into the Sea of Japan, farther than those in previous tests.

The test, which has once again violated UN Security Council resolutions, has further raised tensions in Northeast Asia and compromised international efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.