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| US President, Donald Trump and North Korean Kim Jong Un |
North Korea launched three ballistic missiles on Friday, one of which failed in flight, the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) said early Saturday.
An earlier assessment by PACOM had said that two missiles failed in flight.
“As an update to our initial release, the first and third missiles at 11:49 a.m. and 12:19 p.m. did not ‘fail in flight,’ Cmdr. David Benham, a PACOM spokesman said in a statement Saturday. “Rather, they flew approximately 250 kilometers in a northeastern direction. We will continue to work with our Interagency partners on a more detailed assessment of this latest launch and we will provide a public update if warranted.”
The second missile launch occurred at 12:07 p.m. It appears to have blown up immediately.
PACOM’s initial statement said the launches occurred near Kittaeryong, North Korea.
In a separate statement, Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense said it was aware of the launch, but it was “determined not to be a threat to Guam or the Marianas.”
White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders said President Donald Trump has been briefed and is monitoring the situation.
This latest North Korean missile test would be the 12th ballistic missile test this year. North Korea has demonstrated significant advancements in its missile technology this year testing and is on a pace to test more missiles this year than in any previous calendar year.
A look at every North Korean missile test this year
Their biggest achievements were North Korea’s successful launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in July proving they could reach the continental United States.
The two launches in July triggered an international crisis as Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un exchanged in volatile rhetoric.
On Aug. 8, Trump threatened North Korea with “fire and fury like the world has never seen,” touching off a war of words between the two governments.
Kim said he would consider sending missiles into the waters off the coast of Guam in “mid-August.” Guam is a U.S. island territory that is home to two American military bases.
But, after reviewing those plans, Kim ultimately decided he would “watch a little more the foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees,” seeming to walk back an imminent threat to the island and de-escalating tensions on the Peninsula — at least for now.
Source: ABC News
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