North Korea Launches Another Projectile US Official Says

(ABC) Elizabeth McLaughlin Aug 1 2019 4:31 PM North Korea has fired at least one projectile into the Sea of Japan a U.S. official confirmed to ABC News. The official said that the projectile is similar to the two launched by North Korea earlier this week which were assessed to be short-range ballistic missiles. The South Korean Joint Chiefs also later confirmed the launch of unknown short-range projectiles at 2:59 a.m. and 3:23 from South Hamgyong Province into the East Sea. This is the third launch by North Korea in the last two weeks alone. U.S. officials have said these launches appear to be North Koreas protest to joint U.S.-ROK military exercises set to begin later this month. Thursdays launch was first reported by CNN. The U.S. ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said earlier on Thursday that the U.S. was not overly bothered with the latest tests but more focused on the greater issue which is bringing peace to the peninsula and achieving final fully verified denuclearization of North Korea. Harris said Pyongyang has long denounced U.S. and South Korean military exercises adding that this months drills have been readjusted and scaled down. This latest test comes as the United Kingdom France and Germany condemned North Koreas ballistic missile launches from earlier this week following a closed United Nations Security Council briefing. The countries called the tests a violation of U.N. sanctions and urged Pyongyang to meet the U.S. at the negotiating table instead.