May 25, 2022

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched three ballistic missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, its neighbors said, hours after President Joe Biden wrapped up his trip to Asia where he reaffirmed U.S. commitment to defend its allies in the face of the North’s growing nuclear threat.

The North’s first missile launches in about two weeks also came as the country makes a much-disputed claim that its first domestic COVID-19 outbreak is weakening.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that all three missiles were fired from near Pyongyang and flew toward waters off the North’s eastern coast one after another between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

Read more: