US Indo-Pacific Command said it was aware of North Korea's launches of two ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Sunday and was consulting closely with allies and partners. Pictured is a North Korean tactical ballistic missile launched into the East Sea on June 26. [Yonhap]
US Indo-Pacific Command said it was aware of North Korea's launches of two ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Sunday and was consulting closely with allies and partners. Pictured is a North Korean tactical ballistic missile launched into the East Sea on June 26. [Yonhap]

US Indo-Pacific Command announced Sunday (local time), following North Korea's ballistic missile launches, that it was "aware of the launches and consulting closely with allies and partners."

In a statement, the command said that "based on our current assessment, this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel, territory or allies," adding that "the United States remains committed to the defense of the US homeland and our regional allies."

Indo-Pacific Command has issued similar statements after previous North Korean missile launches, acknowledging awareness of the events and noting close consultations with allies. Statements the command has released this year following North Korean missile launches have not included any condemnation of the launches.

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Sunday (Korean Standard Time), with the launches coming roughly three hours apart. The launches are widely seen as a show of force timed to coincide with President Donald Trump's scheduled address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday and a US-China summit set for Thursday.


kate01@heraldcorp.com