North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles early on Saturday, the US military said, with all ending in apparent failure.

Two projectiles failed in flight and a third appeared to blow up almost immediately, the US Pacific command said in a statement. None posed a threat to Guam or North America.

South Korea’s military said several short-range projectiles had been fired from Kangwon province, travelling north-east for about 250km (155 miles) before landing in the sea.

US and South Korean intelligence authorities are analysing the trajectories of the projectiles and other data to identify them.



“The military is keeping a tight surveillance over the North to cope with further provocations,” South Korean officials added.

The North tends to test-fire ballistics missiles or other projectiles – including those from long-range multiple rocket launchers – in response to US-South Korea joint military exercises.

Tens of thousands of South Korean and US troops are taking part in the Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint military drills, a largely computer-simulated exercise that runs for two weeks.

The launch comes weeks after North Korea created a tense standoff with the United States by threatening to lob some of its missiles toward Guam.

It was the first by the North since it test-fired a missile on 28 July that could have been designed to reach 10,000km, putting parts of the US mainland within reach. 



North Korea has carried out nuclear tests and dozens of missile launches despite continued UN sanctions that began after Pyongyang’s first nuclear test in 2006.

Concern is growing that with every new test, North Korea is edging towards developing a fully functioning ICBM that, in theory, could strike the US mainland. </s> S. Korea: North Test-Fires Handful Of 'Unknown Projectiles' Into Japan Waters

Enlarge this image toggle caption Kim Won-Jin/AFP/Getty Images Kim Won-Jin/AFP/Getty Images

South Korea's military says North Korea has test-fired a handful of "unknown projectiles" off its west coast into its east coast waters, further rattling an already uncertain situation on the Korean peninsula under ongoing political drift in Seoul and a new American administration.

The projectiles were launched from near one of the North's known missile bases of Tongchang-ri at 7:36 a.m. local time, or 5:36 p.m. Sunday (EST). South Korea believes at least one of the missiles flew 1,000 km, or about 620 miles. That's twice the distance as the North's most recent missile test, in February.

"North Korea has ignored South Korea and the international community's constant warnings," said Hwang Kyo-ahn, South Korea's acting president, in a statement. "This shows the North's nuclear and missile provocations are a real and imminent threat to our people's safety."

Japan's government says it counted four missiles landing in the Sea of Japan, the body of water between Korea and Japan. It says three of them fell in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

"Launching missiles at this time shows clearly that North Korea has become a new menace for Japan," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, before saying he will head to a meeting of the Japanese National Security Council later today.

The U.S. military also said it detected the launch. U.S. Strategic Command spokesman Lt. Col. Martin O'Donnell said U.S. forces "remain vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and are fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security."

These missile tests are banned by the U.N. Security Council, but North Korea frequently flouts the rules. Monday's test marks the second such firing of 2017. Last year, it fired missiles 24 times, launched a rocket (largely viewed as a trial for an intercontinental ballistic missile) in February and tested nuclear devices twice.

Longtime military analyst Daniel Pinkston, lecturer in international relations at Troy University, says he is concerned not only by the missile tests but also the recent assassination of leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother in Malaysia, using a banned nerve agent. Malaysian authorities blame North Korea for his death.

"If they don't pay a price for this behavior," Pinkston said, "and I think they should pay a high price, then they will continue with it."

The latest test comes against a backdrop that's both routine — annual March military drills staged by the U.S. and South Korea that Pyongyang sees as war prep — and unfamiliar. The new Trump administration's policy on North Korea is unclear, at best, and South Korea is in a leadership vacuum as an acting president runs day-to-day affairs in the country. The elected president, Park Geun-hye, was impeached by lawmakers on Dec. 9 and stripped of her powers. Whether she keeps her job is up to a court to decide, likely before the end of this month.

Jihye Lee contributed to this post from Seoul. Akane Saiki contributed from Tokyo. </s> WASHINGTON — North Korea has fired another intercontinental ballistic missile, the Pentagon said Friday.

The Department of Defense detected the ballistic missile launch and later confirmed it to be an ICBM by an initial assessment, U.S. officials said. It flew approximately 1,000 kilometers and landed in the Sea of Japan within Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis.

It was determined not to be a threat. But South Korea said it was more robust than the first ICBM launched by North Korea earlier this month.

The launch prompted the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to call his South Korea counterpart to discuss “military response options,” said the chairman’s spokesman, Capt. Greg Hicks. The call “expressed the ironclad commitment to the U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance,” Hicks said.

Davis confirmed that the U.S. and South Korea conducted a joint live fire exercise Saturday morning in response to North Korea’s ICBM launch.

A South Korea military official said the projectile had been fired around 11:41 p.m. local time (10:41 a.m. ET) on Friday and at its highest altitude, traveled at around 3,700 kilometers — “meaning that the firing range has made progress since the last launch” of an ICBM.

“South Korean military has strengthened surveillance and deterrence against North Korea’s additional provocations. We are totally prepared for all possible situations,” the official added.

He said South Korean officials were working with the U.S. to get a more detailed analysis.

North Korea confirmed the ICBM test launch through its state news agency and said the test was a “stern warning” for the United States, according to Reuters. The North Korean state news agency KCNA said the test was ordered by the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un.

North Korea first tested an ICBM on July 4, which proved it had a range capable of reaching certain parts of the United States.

The latest ICBM flew for about 45 minutes, said main Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga. There hadn’t been any reports of nearby planes or ships affected, he added.

Related: North Korea Crisis: How Events Have Unfolded Under Trump

“The prime minister was immediately informed of this, and he gave the following three instructions: to do our utmost to collect intelligence and analyze data, and provide swift and accurate information to the public; to confirm the safety of our planes and ships; and to be prepared for any unforeseen events,” he said in a press conference Friday.

“We cannot accept these repeated provocations by North Korea and we made our protest to the North Koreans using the strongest words possible,” Suga said.

The Union of Concerned Scientists, a science advocacy non-profit, estimated based on available information about the missile test’s trajectory that it could “easily reach the U.S. West Coast and a number of major U.S. cities.”

North Korea is barred by the United Nations from having a nuclear arms program, but has brazenly defied that ban.

The secretive nation has done several ballistic missile tests just this year alone, escalating tensions with the United States since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. It has conducted five nuclear tests since 2006.

“Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, remains ironclad,” Davis said in a statement Friday. “We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation.”

Courtney Kube reported from Washington, Elizabeth Chuck from New York. </s> North Korea fired an unidentified projectile on Thursday, the South's military chiefs said, less than a week after its leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of multiple rockets and a missile.

The projectile was fired at about 4:30 p.m. (0730 GMT) from the northwest location of Sino-ri, towards the east, the South's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It did not immediately release further details.

Last week North Korea launched a number of rockets and at least one short-range missile from its east coast into the ocean, sharply raising tension on the Korean peninsula at a time of stalemate in talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

On Wednesday North Korea lashed out at the United States and South Korea, saying last week's strike drill was "regular and self-defensive" and rejecting the notion that it was an act of provocation.

South Korea responded to last week's action by the North by calling for an end to acts that escalate military tension.

The area where Thursday's projectile was launched is believed to be the site of a medium-range Rodong missile base on North Korea's east coast, a Washington-based think tank, the Center for Stratetic International Studies, says.

Saturday's launch of a short-range missile from another east coast area was the North's first test of a ballistic missile since it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2017.

At that time, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared its nuclear force was complete and extended an olive branch to the South and the United States, holding two summit meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and three with the South Korean leader. </s> North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles Saturday morning from Kangwon province, the US Pacific Command said.

Though North Korea says it now has the ability to send missiles to the US mainland, US defense officials said they determined these missiles did not pose a threat to North America or Guam.

Cmdr. David Benham, spokesman for US Pacific Command, said the first and third missiles “failed in flight” and the second missile launch “appears to have blown up almost immediately.”

“We are working with our Interagency partners on a more detailed assessment and we will provide a public update if warranted,” he said.

The missile tests occurred as the United States and South Korea conducted the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercises.

South Korea and the United States call the exercises defensive in nature, but North Korea sees them as provocative and hostile, perhaps even preparation for an invasion.

“The Korean People’s Army is keeping a high alert, fully ready to contain the enemies. It will take resolute steps the moment even a slight sign of the preventive war is spotted,” North Korean state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun said.

A statement issued by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said “the projectiles” were launched around 6:49 a.m. Saturday and flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles) into the Sea of Japan, or East Sea.

South Korea planned to convene its national security council several hours after the missile launches, the presidential office said in a statement.

“Our military is closely monitoring for North Korean additional provocation and strengthened surveillance and security postures and maintaining readiness postures,” the South Korean release said.

North Korea has conducted a series of ballistic missile tests this year, increasing tensions with the United States, South Korea and Japan.

The country has fired more than 20 missiles since February, further perfecting its technology with each launch. In July, it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, which North Korea claims could reach “anywhere in the world.” </s> The U.S. military said Saturday it had detected an unsuccessful launch by North Korea of a powerful medium-range missile capable of hitting American bases as far away as Guam.

U.N. resolutions prohibit North Korea from using ballistic missile technology, and this latest test came as the Security Council is debating fresh sanctions on Pyongyang following its fifth nuclear test in September.

The U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) said the launch, detected just after midday Saturday Korea time, was believed to be of a much-hyped Musudan missile which North Korea has now test-fired seven times — with one partial success.

Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross condemned what he called a clear violation of U.N. resolutions and urged Pyongyang to refrain from any further actions that might raise already elevated tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

“This provocation only serves to increase the international community’s resolve to counter (North Korea’s) prohibited activities,” said Ross.

“We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation,” he added.

First unveiled as an indigenous missile at a military parade in Pyongyang in October 2010, the Musudan has a theoretical range of anywhere between 2,500 km and 4,000 km.

The lower estimate covers the whole of South Korea and Japan, while the upper range would include U.S. military bases on Guam.

After a string of five failed launches, North Korea test fired a Musudan in June that flew 400 km into the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

That test was hailed by leader Kim Jong Un as proof of the North’s ability to strike U.S. bases across “the Pacific operation theater.”

Saturday’s failed launch was detected at 12:03 Pyongyang time Saturday from the northwestern North Korean town of Kusong.

Such launches are usually reported within hours or even minutes by the South Korean and U.S. militaries, and it was unclear why Sunday’s USSTRATCOM announcement came so long after the event.

There was no immediate confirmation from the South Korean side.

U.S. weapons analysts say successful Musudan testing could help the nuclear-armed North develop an operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the US mainland by 2020.

The North has publicly displayed an ICBM, called the KN-08, that uses the same engine technology as the Musudan but has never been test-fired.

The North Korean state media made no mention of Saturday’s attempted launch, but the official KCNA news agency carried a Foreign Ministry statement warning that the United States would “pay a high price” for recent hostile behavior that had “hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership.”

President Barack Obama “will come to understand the meaning of the price before he leaves the White House,” a ministry spokesman said.

There has been widespread speculation — backed by satellite imagery showing activity at key military installations — that the North is preparing for a sixth nuclear test or a long-range rocket launch — or possibly both.

The latest Musudan test was the first since Seoul and Washington agreed to deploy a sophisticated U.S. anti-missile system on South Korean soil to curb the North’s growing nuclear weapons threat.

Pyongyang has threatened to take “physical action” against the new system, which has also been condemned by the North’s patron, China, as a U.S. bid to flex its military muscle in the region. </s> North Korea said in its first statement since launching missiles on Monday the tests were part of training for potential strikes against U.S. bases in Japan.Pyongyang’s state-controlled news agency KCNA said Tuesday “Comrade Kim Jong Un had provided field guidance to the Hwasong artillery unit of the Korean People’s Army.”KCNA also stated the Hwasong unit were part of the training because it is “tasked with striking the U.S. imperial troops based in Japan, in the case of an emergency.”The missiles were fired the minute Kim Jong Un “issued his order, at which moment ballistic rockets burst simultaneously into a thunderous explosion as they flew toward the brightening eastern sky, proudly leaving behind vapor trails that symbolized the destruction of the enemy.”The North Korean leader reportedly expressed his satisfaction with the test, comparing the “simultaneous launches to a flying squadron.”Kim said the ballistic missile launches send a warning to the enemy and added North Korea’s military “fully demonstrated its power, and the ability to destroy the enemy in the most accurate, swift and thorough manner.”According to South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff on Monday, four missiles were fired in succession in 10 minutes, and each missile was launched at different angles.On Monday the Pentagon said a fifth missile was launched but failed.North Korea only confirmed the suspicion of South Korea military chiefs about the goals of its missile testing.According to South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff, three of the four missiles landed in Japanese territorial waters, making it likely North Korea is rehearsing attacks against U.S. military stations in Japan, from where reinforcements for the Korean peninsula would arrive in the event of war.Seoul said all four projectiles were most likely midrange ballistic missiles that are not capable of reaching the continental United States, South Korean newspaper Kukmin Ilbo reported Monday.The rockets, which all flew distances of 620 miles or less, could have been projectiles like the Rodong, the Scud-ER, or a modified missile like the Pukguksong-2, launched Feb. 12.But the South Korea military is not ruling out the possibility that at least one of the missiles was an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, because of the location of the launch.The station in Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province, has been the site of previously long-range rocket tests.In another development, North Korea said on Tuesday it has temporarily banned Malaysians from leaving the country to ensure the safety of its diplomats and citizens in Malaysia.The ban came amid an escalating row over the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half-brother, Kim Jong Nam.The North’s foreign ministry has notified the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang of the reason for the measure and said it had hoped the case would be swiftly and fairly resolved in order to develop bilateral ties with Malaysia, the North’s KCNA news agency reported. </s> SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired several short-range projectiles from its east coast on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, as analysts said the country is stepping up pressure against the United States after February’s failed nuclear summit in Bangkok.

The South Korean military initially described it as a missile launch, but subsequently gave a more vague description.

If the unidentified projectiles were missiles, it would be the first missile launch since the North fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in November 2017. Soon after that missile test, the North declared that its nuclear force was complete, after which Pyongyang extended an olive branch to the South and the United States.

In Saturday’s statement South Korea’s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North fired several unidentified short-range projectiles from north of the city of Wonsan around 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) which flew about 70 kms to 200 kms (44-124 miles).

In an earlier message, South Korea’s military command had said the North fired an “unidentified short-range missile”.

The South Korean military said it was conducting joint analysis with the United States of the latest launches.

Surveillance and vigilance has been stepped up in preparation for any further launches by North Korea, and the South Korean military maintains readiness and is cooperating with the United States, the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff added.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, has vowed to no longer test nuclear weapons or ICBMs, but the North has conducted other weapons tests since then.

The latest firing, coming after the North’s test of what it called a tactical guided weapons system in April, added to the pressure Pyongyang has sought to exert on the United States to give ground in negotiations to end the North’s nuclear programme.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, “We are aware of North Korea’s actions tonight. We will continue to monitor as necessary.”

A Pentagon press officer said in response to a Reuters request for comment: “We aren’t able to confirm anything at the moment, we are looking in to it.”

South Korea’s presidential Blue House is “analysing the situation,” a Blue House official said without elaborating.

“There were reports of a missile launch by North Korea, but we have not confirmed the entry of any ballistic missile into Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone. At this point, we have not confirmed any situation where Japan’s national security would immediately be affected.” Japan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Analysts said that no matter what type of projectile was fired, the timing of North Korea’s action would send a message to the United States.

“It is an expression of the North’s frustration over stalled talks with the United States. It is a message that it could return to the previous confrontational mode if there is no breakthrough in the stalemate,” said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum.

“It also seems clear that North Korea is angry over what appears to be a lack of flexibility in the Trump administration’s position on relieving sanctions, sticking to a policy of ‘maximum pressure’,” said Harry Kazianis at the Center for the National Interest, a think-tank.

Kim has held two summit meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, the second in February in Vietnam, but the two failed to make progress on ending the North’s nuclear programme due to disagreement on weapons dismantlement and sanctions relief. </s> An initial assessment shows that North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) today that flew for more than 40 minutes, traveling 620 miles horizontally into the Sea of Japan, a U.S. official said.

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"The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America," Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said in a statement.

The launch was detected at about 10:41 a.m. ET (11:41 p.m. local time).

On Saturday morning local time, the U.S. and South Korea fired short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan "as a show of force" in response to North Korea's launch, the U.S. military said in a statement.

The missile was launched near an arms plant from Mupyong-ni, in the far north of North Korea, and traveled about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. The landing was inside of Japan’s Economic Exclusion Zone, about 88 nautical miles west of Hokkaido. Davis said the missile was in the air for at least 40 minutes.

"Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, remains ironclad. We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation," Davis said.

In a statement, President Donald Trump condemned the launch, saying that North Korea's "second such test in less than a month" is the "latest reckless and dangerous action" by Kim Jong Un's regime.

KRT via AP Video

"The United States condemns this test and rejects the regime’s claim that these tests — and these weapons — ensure North Korea’s security," Trump said. "In reality, they have the opposite effect. By threatening the world, these weapons and tests further isolate North Korea, weaken its economy, and deprive its people."

Trump also said the U.S. will take "all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American homeland and protect our allies in the region."

Following today’s missile launch, Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Adm. Harry Harris of the U.S. Pacific Command called South Korea’s top military officer to express their iron-clad commitments to the U.S.-South Korean security alliance and to discuss military response options, David said.

Today's ballistic missile launch is North Korea’s 11th ballistic missile test this year and the first since North Korea launched an historic ICBM on July 4, an action U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said represented "a new escalation of the threat to the United States, our allies and partners, the region and the world."

That ICBM flew at a trajectory of 1,730 miles above Earth for 37 minutes before crashing into the Sea of Japan.

A U.S. official told ABC News earlier this week that North Korea could test another ICBM as early as Wednesday night.

U.S. officials had suspected a test could occur on July 27 to mark the North Korean holiday known as "Day of Victory," which celebrates the end of hostilities in the Korean War in 1953.

But rainy weather at the launch location and technical difficulties appeared to have prevented a launch until late Friday night.
South Korea responds with its own missile firing just six minutes after the North's test was detected.