North Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles, But They Reportedly Fail

There is some confusion about the supposed ballistic missile launch from North Korea on Saturday morning (North Korea time).

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) are reporting that North Korea fired what might have been a ballistic missile into the East Sea on Saturday morning. The JCS said it was an “unidentified projectile,” fired from a site in the eastern province of Gangwon, and flew roughly 150 miles.

The news was immediately reported to President Moon Jae-in, added the JCS.

Japan’s Kyodo news service echoed that the projectile might have been a ballistic missile.

According to ABC News, Cmdr. David Benham, a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Command, confirmed North Korea launched three ballistic missiles on Friday, two failing in flight and one blowing up at launch. He said:

Initial assessment indicates three short-range ballistic missile launches. The first and third missiles at 11:49 a.m. and 12:19 p.m. (on Friday, Hawaii time, which is 18.5 hours behind North Korea) failed in flight. The second missile launch at 12:07 p.m. appears to have blown up almost immediately. The three launches occurred near Kittaeryong, North Korea. We are working with our Interagency partners on a more detailed assessment and we will provide a public update if warranted. … We continue to monitor North Korea’s actions closely.

Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense stated that the launch was “determined not to be a threat to Guam or the Marianas.”

North Korea has launched 12 ballistic missile tests this year. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un said earlier this summer he might consider sending missiles into the waters off the coast of Guam in “mid-August.”