North Korea launches three more missiles
(FOX NEWS)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The Latest on North Korea's missile launches (all times local):
2:20 p.m.
The U.S. Pacific Command has revised its assessment of the latest North Korean missile launches, saying the first and third projectiles did not fail in flight.
Pacific Command spokesman Cmdr. Dave Benham says the two missiles flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles). It said earlier that the third missile appears to have blown up immediately.
Benham says the military continues with a more detailed assessment. The latest update brings it more closely in line with the South Korean military evaluation, which didn't mention any missile failures.
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12:20 p.m.
South Korea's presidential office says North Korea has likely tested its 300-millimeter artillery rocket system in the latest launch detected off its eastern coast.
South Korean security analyst Kim Dong-yub said Saturday that South Korea's assessments don't contradict U.S. military evaluations that identified the launches as short-range ballistic missiles.
Kim says North Korea's large-sized artillery rockets blur the boundaries between artillery systems and ballistic missiles because they create their own thrust and are guided during delivery.
In the latest launch, the U.S. Pacific Command says two of the North's missiles failed in flight after an unspecified distance, and another appeared to have blown up immediately.
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11:20 a.m.
Japan's top government spokesman says there is no direct threat to Japan following North Korea's latest test-launch of three short-range missiles.
Yoshihide Suga told reporters the missiles early Saturday did not fall into Japan's territorial waters or the coastal 200-mile economic zone. Japan has previously deployed missile interceptors after North Korea threatened to fire projectiles over Japan toward the U.S. territory of Guam.
In the latest launch, the U.S. Pacific Command says two of the North's missiles failed in flight after an unspecified distance, and another appeared to have blown up immediately.
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10:50 a.m.
South Korea's presidential office says the U.S. and South Korean militaries will proceed with their ongoing war games "even more thoroughly" in response to North Korea's latest short-range missile launches.
The Blue House issued the statement Saturday after National Security Director Chung Eui-yong chaired a National Security Council meeting to assess the launches.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in did not participate in the meeting and his office didn't immediately provide further details.
The U.S. Pacific Command says its assessments indicate that the three missiles failed. The command says two failed in flight, and another appeared to have blown up immediately.
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff says that the projectiles fired from the North's eastern coast flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles), though it did not mention any failures.