North Korea launched at least two projectiles into the sea on Friday, South Korea's military said, shortly after Pyongyang described South Korea's president as "impudent" and vowed that inter-Korean talks are over.

North Korea launched at least two projectiles into the sea on Friday, South Korea's military said, shortly after Pyongyang described South Korea's president as "impudent" and vowed that inter-Korean talks are over. The North has protested against joint military drills conducted by South Korea and the United States, which kicked off last week, calling them a rehearsal for war. It has fired several short-range missiles in recent weeks. North Korea fired two more unidentified projectiles into the sea off its east coast on Friday morning, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. South Korea's National Security Council was meeting to discuss the latest launches. Japan's defence ministry said it did not see any imminent security threat from the latest projectile launch. The launches have complicated attempts to restart talks between US and North Korean negotiators over the future of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. Those denuclearisation talks have been stalled despite a commitment to revive them made at a June 30 meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Earlier on Friday, Pyongyang rejected a vow by South Korean President Moon Jae-in a day earlier to pursue talks with the North and to bring unification of the Koreas by 2045. The loss of dialogue momentum between the North and South and the stalemate in implementing pledges made at a historic summit between their two leaders last year was entirely the responsibility of the South, a North Korean spokesman said. The unidentified spokesman repeated criticism that the joint US-South Korea drills were a sign of Seoul's hostility against the North. "We have nothing to talk any more with the South Korean authorities nor have any idea to sit with them again," the North's spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country said in a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency. The committee is the North's government agency tasked with managing relationships with the South. The rival Koreas are technically still at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended with a truce rather than a peace treaty. Moon and Kim have met three times since April last year, pledging peace and cooperation, but little progress has been made to improve dialogue and strengthen exchanges and cooperation. The South's Moon said in a Liberation Day address on Thursday it was only through his policy of Korean national peace that dialogue with the North was still possible. "In spite of a series of worrying actions taken by North Korea recently, the momentum for dialogue remains unshaken," Moon said in remarks marking Korea's independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The North's spokesman described Moon as an "impudent guy" who is "overcome with fright". He said Moon had no standing to talk about engagement with the North because of the ongoing military manoeuvres by South Korea. "His open talk about 'dialogue' between the North and the South under such a situation raises a question as to whether he has proper thinking faculty," the spokesman said. It was "senseless" to think that inter-Korean dialogue would resume once the military drills with the United States were over, he said. The spokesman left open the possibility of talks with the United States. Trump and Kim have met twice since their first summit in Singapore last year and said their countries would continue talks. However, little progress has been made on the North's stated commitment to denuclearise.

North Korea fires projectiles, rejects South Korea's dialogue pledge

A year of warming relations between North and South Korea has raised the prospects of closer ties, if not some form of unification for the still-warring neighbours far in the future. But it might not be obvious in a typical South Korean classroom.&nbsp;

"I really don't know anything," 17-year-old student Roh Ha-na said. "It`s like only twice a year that the school teaches about unification and national security, and about North Korean life... but I just let most of it go in one ear and out the other."This year`s inter-Korean détente has highlighted what many observers see as a lack of knowledge among South Koreans about their northern neighbour, prompting government efforts to revamp the way South Koreans learn about North Korea and unification.

Baek Jun-kee, the head of South Korea's Institute for Unification Education says current education methods have failed to show young South Koreans the importance of a nuanced understanding of North Korea, its people and leader Kim Jong Un.

"If we don't approach the issue in a rational manner or show how the issue affects (students') personal lives in middle school or high school, it will be difficult to keep their attention," Baek told Reuters in an interview.

The education shortcomings are contributing to a shortage of North Korea experts across public and private institutions at a time when increased cultural and governmental exchanges between the two Koreas make them all the more important, analysts say.

"Every regional government has rolled out plans for inter-Korean exchange, but they don`t have any experts, no knowledge, no networks," said Hong Min, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification. "When the heads of South Korean conglomerates went along to the September Pyongyang summit, most of them didn`t have an in-house North Korea expert to brief the chief."

After facing criticism at a parliamentary hearing earlier this month over funding cuts to education programmes, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told lawmakers creating a new curriculum on unification was "crucial and urgent".

"Waste of time"

Cut off from the North for 70 years and still technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce not a peace treaty, many South Koreans have come to see unification as an increasingly distant and unrealistic goal.

Surveys show younger generations of South Koreans are particularly ignorant or apathetic about their northern neighbours, seeing them as a troublesome distraction from the more pressing concerns of work or school.

Interviews with 17 high school students revealed most had never heard of the `parallel progress` policy key to North Korean affairs this decade. Most didn`t know about the growth of private markets that has transformed many areas of North Korea`s economy.&nbsp;

"I've never heard about these North Korean issues in school, aside from learning about the Korean War in history class," said Moon So-in, a 17-year-old student at Sunil Girls` High School.&nbsp; 
"My friends don`t seem very interested since we are so used to being a divided country."&nbsp;

Education in South Korea is focused on competing for college entrance, culminating in high-pressure nationwide exams in the last year of high school, on which students stake their futures.

North Korea is "not on the test," students and teachers said, and is therefore seen as a "waste of precious time," said high school teacher Choi Ki-bok.

Generally, North Korea is addressed in a single chapter once a year in 4th and 6th grade, briefly in middle school and once in high school, two teachers said.

In higher education, meanwhile, five out of six North Korean studies departments at South Korean universities have been shut down or changed into other programmes in recent years, in part because of a lack of applicants.&nbsp;

Sparking debate

In North Korea, the South appears to be discussed more often in schools. As well as propaganda, North Korean defectors say they were taught minute details about the South.

"I was taught South Korean geography down to what minerals and grains are produced in each region, history that happened on South Korean soil," said Park Na-ri, a North Korean defector educator who taught Korean and literature in Pyongyang and now teaches defector children in Seoul.&nbsp;

"I was shocked to find South Koreans know much less about where anything in North Korea is," she said, noting that ignorance can lead to a lack of empathy for North Koreans.

Five South Korean educators interviewed by Reuters said teachers don`t feel equipped to navigate the thorny issue of North Korea, which in the words of one high school teacher is "an enemy, a long-lost brother, and a separate country sharing a border, depending on who you ask".&nbsp;

The Institute for Unification Education, which oversees all lower education on North Korea, says it is setting up the first-ever year-long training programmes for teachers to learn how to teach North Korea.

That will include a shift away from rote teaching on unification as a given to a more flexible approach focused more on the goal of peace and designed to spark discussions among students.

This year, the 91-page "Unification Education Guidelines" was cut down to 48 pages and renamed "Unification and Peace Education, Directions and Viewpoints", mirroring President Moon Jae-in`s argument that reaching peace with North Korea is a more pressing and realistic goal than full unification.

A year of warming relations between North and South Korea has raised the prospects of closer ties, if not some form of unification for the still-warring neighbours far in the future.

A year of warming relations between North and South Korea has raised the prospects of closer ties, if not some form of unification for the still-warring neighbours far in the future. But it might not be obvious in a typical South Korean classroom. "I really don't know anything," 17-year-old student Roh Ha-na said. "It`s like only twice a year that the school teaches about unification and national security, and about North Korean life... but I just let most of it go in one ear and out the other."This year`s inter-Korean détente has highlighted what many observers see as a lack of knowledge among South Koreans about their northern neighbour, prompting government efforts to revamp the way South Koreans learn about North Korea and unification. Baek Jun-kee, the head of South Korea's Institute for Unification Education says current education methods have failed to show young South Koreans the importance of a nuanced understanding of North Korea, its people and leader Kim Jong Un. "If we don't approach the issue in a rational manner or show how the issue affects (students') personal lives in middle school or high school, it will be difficult to keep their attention," Baek told Reuters in an interview. The education shortcomings are contributing to a shortage of North Korea experts across public and private institutions at a time when increased cultural and governmental exchanges between the two Koreas make them all the more important, analysts say. "Every regional government has rolled out plans for inter-Korean exchange, but they don`t have any experts, no knowledge, no networks," said Hong Min, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification. "When the heads of South Korean conglomerates went along to the September Pyongyang summit, most of them didn`t have an in-house North Korea expert to brief the chief." After facing criticism at a parliamentary hearing earlier this month over funding cuts to education programmes, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told lawmakers creating a new curriculum on unification was "crucial and urgent". "Waste of time" Cut off from the North for 70 years and still technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce not a peace treaty, many South Koreans have come to see unification as an increasingly distant and unrealistic goal. Surveys show younger generations of South Koreans are particularly ignorant or apathetic about their northern neighbours, seeing them as a troublesome distraction from the more pressing concerns of work or school. Interviews with 17 high school students revealed most had never heard of the `parallel progress` policy key to North Korean affairs this decade. Most didn`t know about the growth of private markets that has transformed many areas of North Korea`s economy. "I've never heard about these North Korean issues in school, aside from learning about the Korean War in history class," said Moon So-in, a 17-year-old student at Sunil Girls` High School. "My friends don`t seem very interested since we are so used to being a divided country." Education in South Korea is focused on competing for college entrance, culminating in high-pressure nationwide exams in the last year of high school, on which students stake their futures. North Korea is "not on the test," students and teachers said, and is therefore seen as a "waste of precious time," said high school teacher Choi Ki-bok. Generally, North Korea is addressed in a single chapter once a year in 4th and 6th grade, briefly in middle school and once in high school, two teachers said. In higher education, meanwhile, five out of six North Korean studies departments at South Korean universities have been shut down or changed into other programmes in recent years, in part because of a lack of applicants. Sparking debate In North Korea, the South appears to be discussed more often in schools. As well as propaganda, North Korean defectors say they were taught minute details about the South. "I was taught South Korean geography down to what minerals and grains are produced in each region, history that happened on South Korean soil," said Park Na-ri, a North Korean defector educator who taught Korean and literature in Pyongyang and now teaches defector children in Seoul. "I was shocked to find South Koreans know much less about where anything in North Korea is," she said, noting that ignorance can lead to a lack of empathy for North Koreans. Five South Korean educators interviewed by Reuters said teachers don`t feel equipped to navigate the thorny issue of North Korea, which in the words of one high school teacher is "an enemy, a long-lost brother, and a separate country sharing a border, depending on who you ask". The Institute for Unification Education, which oversees all lower education on North Korea, says it is setting up the first-ever year-long training programmes for teachers to learn how to teach North Korea. That will include a shift away from rote teaching on unification as a given to a more flexible approach focused more on the goal of peace and designed to spark discussions among students. This year, the 91-page "Unification Education Guidelines" was cut down to 48 pages and renamed "Unification and Peace Education, Directions and Viewpoints", mirroring President Moon Jae-in`s argument that reaching peace with North Korea is a more pressing and realistic goal than full unification.

Kim Jong Who? South Korea revamps the way students study North Korea

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North Korea fires projectiles, rejects South Korea's dialogue pledge

Kim Jong Who? South Korea revamps the way students study North Korea