North Korea on Saturday morning fired what are believed to be three short-range ballistic missiles, U.S. Pacific Command said.
The missiles were launched near Kittaeryong between 6:49 a.m. Seoul time (5:49 pm. Friday ET) and 12:19 p.m. The second missile "appears to have blown up almost immediately," Pacific Command said. However, the first and third missiles did not "fail in flight," the Pacific Command clarified in a later update early Saturday.
"We continue to monitor North Korea's actions closely," Pacific Command said. "U.S. Pacific Command stands behind our ironclad commitment to the security of our allies in the Republic of Korea and Japan."
The latest launch comes during an annual joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea that the North condemns as an invasion rehearsal, and weeks after Pyongyang threatened to lob missiles toward the Pacific U.S. territory of Guam.