US Confirms: North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile

WASHINGTON, May 28 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities tracked the six-minute flight of what was believed to be a North Korean short-range ballistic missile until it crashed into the Sea of Japan, the U.S. Pacific Command said on Sunday.

"We continue to monitor North Korea's actions closely," the Pacific Command said, adding that it was working on a more detailed assessment of the launch from near the country's Wonsan Airfield.

"U.S. Pacific Command stands behind our ironclad commitment to the security of our allies in the Republic of Korea and Japan," it in a statement. "The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) assessed that the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America."

(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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