Seoul: North Korea launches 3 ballistic missiles toward sea

Biden and Yoon said after their meeting Saturday that they would consider expanded military exercises to deter North Korean nuclear threats.Biden brushed aside questions about any possible provocation by North Korea during his trip, saying, “We are prepared for anything North Korea does.” He later met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, and they vowed to work closely to address security challenges, including North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic programs and what they called China’s “increasingly coercive” behavior in the region.According to South Korea’s military, the first missile was likely an ICBM that reached a maximum height of 540 kilometers (335 miles) while traveling 360 kilometers (223 miles). He said the missile was fired at a high angle and that its launch appeared aimed at reviewing the weapon’s propellant and stage separations, though he couldn’t conclusively say whether the test was successful.He said the tests of the two other missiles, both short-range, implied North Korea’s intention to improve its ability to launch nuclear strikes on its rivals.While the North Korean launches were part of its weapons development program, they were also strategically timed to the end of Biden’s Asian visits and likely designed to test the readiness of South Korea’s new government, which took office about two weeks ago, Kim said.The flight details for the suspected ICBM were similar to those of two previous North Korean launches this year, which the South Korean and U.S. militaries had said were meant to test components of the Hwasong-17 missile.