UK ‘disappointed’ by North Korea missile launch

LONDON: Britain on Saturday said it was “disappointed” after North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea after vowing to remain the biggest “threat” to the United States. “We are disappointed that North Korea has conducted further short-range ballistic missile tests, which violate multiple UN Security Council Resolutions,” said the Foreign Office. It urged Pyongyang to re-engage in talks with the US, adding that “complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation is the path for a peaceful and more prosperous future” for its people. It was the latest in a series of short-range missile tests the nuclear-armed nation has carried out in recent weeks in protest against US-South Korean military exercises, which it sees as a rehearsal for invasion. The missiles flew about 380 kilometres (240 miles) and reached an altitude of 97 kilometres at a top speed of Mach 6.5 before landing in the East Sea, also known as Sea of Japan, South Korea´s Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement.