North Korea Fires Short Ballistic Missiles Toward East Sea

North Korea on Saturday launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea, a day after the United States, South Korea and Japan ended a trilateral military drill that Pyongyang sees as a provocation. South Korea said several missiles were fired from the eastern coastal area of Wonsan and travelled about 250 kilometres towards the North’s eastern waters.

The launch, North Korea’s first in about three weeks, came as the country continued to display its weapons after rejecting US President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back a major bilateral military drill with South Korea as a goodwill gesture. The US Pacific Command said the launch did not pose an immediate threat to US territory or its allies.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had strengthened its surveillance posture and was closely sharing information on the launches with the US and Japan. South Korea’s presidential National Security Council urged North Korea to stop ballistic missile launches that violate UN Security Council resolutions. The US Pacific Command said the US remained committed to defending its homeland and its allies in the region.