SEOUL/WASHINGTON: North Korea fired several short-range missiles into the sea off its east coast early on Saturday, South Korea and the U. S. military said, as the two allies conducted annual joint military drills that the North denounces as preparation for war…
SEOUL/WASHINGTON: North Korea fired several short-range missiles into the sea off its east coast early on Saturday, South Korea and the U. S. military said, as the two allies conducted annual joint military drills that the North denounces as preparation for war.
The U. S. military’s Pacific Command said it had detected three short-range ballistic missiles, all of which failed with one of them blowing up almost immediately after launch.
The South Korean Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were launched from the North’s eastern Kangwon province and flew in a northeasterly direction about 250 km (155 miles) into the sea.
Pacific Command said the missiles did not pose a threat to the U. S. mainland or to the Pacific territory of Guam, which North Korea had threatened earlier this month to surround „in a sea of fire“.
Tensions had eased since a harsh exchange of threats between Pyongyang and Washington after U. S. President Donald Trump had warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un he would face „fire and fury“ if he threatened the United States.
The launch is the first by the North since it test-fired a missile on July 28 that could have been designed to reach 10,000 km (6,200 miles) , putting parts of the U. S. mainland within reach.
Japan’s military said the projectiles did not appear to be objects that could threaten Japan’s safety.
