The revelation Wednesday of North Korea’s test of two short-range missiles over the weekend could be the start of a fresh cycle of provocations, potentially putting Washington in a tough spot as it prepares to brief allies in Tokyo and Seoul on a soon-to-conclude review of U.S. policy toward Pyongyang.
U.S. officials said North Korea had tested the “short-range system,” but characterized the tests as falling on the low end of the threat spectrum, saying the military activity was not in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions over its ballistic missile program.
"It is a normal part of the kind of testing that North Korea would do," a senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. "We do not believe that it is in our best interest to hype these things in circumstances in which we would consider those activities as part of a 'normal' set of a tense military environment."