Add Category
A second US official told CNN that the initial assessment was that North Korea launched two short range ballistic missiles.
South Korea's military has been monitoring North Korean activity and confirmed the launch of two "unidentified short-range projectiles" from North Korea's South Hamgyong Province toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The projectiles were launched at 2:59 a.m. and 3:23 a.m. local time, the statement said.
US president Donald Trump said Thursday he had "no problem" with the launches. Asked for his reaction to North Korean ballistic missile testing, he responded: "Short range missiles. We never made an agreement on that. I have no problem."
"These are short-range missiles, they're very standard," he said.
Experts say the recent series of launches could signal North Korea's discontent over developments south of its border, including upcoming joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, and South Korea's decision to acquire F-35 stealth fighters, which could be capable of evading North Korean radars.
The tests are a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, which bar North Korea from testing and launching ballistic missiles.