U.S. revises assessment on North Korea missile launches

The U.S. Pacific Command has revised its assessment of the latest North Korean missile launches, saying the first and third projectiles did not fail in flight.

Pacific Command spokespersonCmdr. Dave Benham said the two missiles flew about 250 kilometres. It earlier said that the third missile appears to have blown up immediately.

The latest update brings the assessment more closely in line with the South Korean military evaluation, which didn't mention any missile failures.

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South Korea's presidential office saidthe U.S. and South Korean militaries will proceed with their ongoing war games "even more thoroughly" in response to North Korea's latest short-range missile launches.

The Blue House issued the statement Saturday after National Security Director Chung Eui-yong chaired a National Security Council meeting to assess the launches.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in did not participate in the meeting and his office didn't immediately provide further details.

The presidential office in South Korea has saidNorth Korea was likely testingits 300-millimetre artillery rocket system in the latest launch, which was detected off its eastern coast.

South Korean security analyst Kim Dong-yub said Saturday that South Korea's assessments don't contradict U.S. military evaluations that identified the launches as short-range ballistic missiles.

Kim saidNorth Korea's large-sized artillery rockets blur the boundaries between artillery systems and ballistic missiles because they create their own thrust and are guided during delivery.

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