: North Korea on Saturday launched three ballistic missiles, US military officials said, dampening President Donald Trump’s optimism to strike a deal with Pyongyang to contain its rapidly expanding nuclear weapons programme.
The US Pacific Command said the missiles launched into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula appeared to be short- range. The first and second missiles “failed in flight” and the third “appears to have blown up almost immediately”.
It said the North American Aerospace Defence Command determined the missile launches did not pose a threat to Guam, which the North previously warned it would target if provoked. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump has been briefed and “we are monitoring the situation.”
North Korea last month fired intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US mainland, triggering heightened rhetoric from both the sides. Trump had warned of “fire and fury” and days later ramped up his threat, saying “maybe that statement wasn’t tough enough”.