North Korea launches short-range missiles, but US officials play down move
- Biden administration officials say Pyongyang fired several missiles over the weekend, after US held military exercises with South Korea
- Missiles did not violate UN sanctions, and officials said the moves were not seen as provocative
Senior US administration officials on Tuesday said that North Korea had fired short-range missiles over the weekend, following multiple days of meetings between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing.
The officials said the launches – Pyongyang’s first known weapons tests this year – did not violate any UN Security Council sanctions, and emphasised they did not view them as a provocation against the administration of President Joe Biden.
“We’ve been in administrations when North Korea has really tested with provocative actions – nuclear tests, long-range systems,” one of the officials told reporters.
“Almost every kind of activity – missile, nuclear activity – is covered by UN Security Council resolutions,” he said. “Because this does not, it probably gives you an indication of where it falls on the spectrum of concern.”
The officials declined to offer specific details about the exact nature of the missile launches, first reported by The Washington Post, confirming only that they had taken place over the weekend.
