The United States on Saturday condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile launches this week as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, stressing its close coordination with allies and partners to address Pyongyang’s “dangerous” provocations.

On Saturday, the North’s state media reported that Pyongyang conducted a test-fire of a tactical ballistic missile equipped with a new “autonomous” navigation system Friday, in yet another sign of its push to sharpen its weapons capabilities.

“The United States condemns the DPRK’s May 17 ballistic missile launches,” a State Department spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency. DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“Like all other DPRK ballistic missile launches in recent years, these launches violated multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, and posed a threat to regional and international peace and security,” the official added.

The spokesperson reaffirmed that Washington harbors n
o “hostile” intent toward the North.

“We continue to consult closely with the Republic of Korea, Japan, and other allies and partners about how to best engage the DPRK, deter aggression, and coordinate international responses to the DPRK’s ongoing and dangerous provocations,” the official said.

The South Korean military said Friday that it detected the North’s firing of several short-range ballistic missiles from the eastern coastal city of Wonsan. The missiles flew about 300 kilometers and landed in the East Sea, it said.

The latest launches came after South Korea and the U.S. staged combined aerial drills involving advanced stealth jets Thursday in an apparent show of airpower against evolving North Korean military threats.

Source: Yonhap News Agency