The U.S. Navy confirmed that North Korea launched "multiple" short-range ballistic missiles Friday, none of which hit a target.
A spokesman for U.S. Pacific Command said three missiles were launched about 10 minutes apart, around 2200 UTC. He said the first and third missiles failed in flight, while the second missile appeared to have blown up almost immediately.
The spokesman also said none of the missiles posed a threat to North America, or to Guam, the nearest U.S. territory to North Korea. He said U.S. forces "continue to monitor North Korea's actions closely."
Earlier, the South Korean military joint chiefs of staff said North Korea had apparently fired several missiles from the Gitdaeryong area in North Korea's Gangwon province. The joint chiefs said the missiles might have been part of a military training exercise.
At least one of the missiles flew about 250 kilometers before landing in the sea, according to the South Korean joint chiefs.
This story first appeared on Voice of America & is reposted here with permission.