North Korea Successfully Test Three Missiles as Part of Simulated Attack on South Korean Islands

The below article makes me wonder why PACOM issued a statement about the missile launches being failures before letting a full analysis be completed?:

North Korea fired three short-range missiles on Saturday — all successful — despite earlier reports suggesting failure, according to the U.S. military.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles fired from the North’s eastern coast flew about 155 miles. It said South Korea and U.S. militaries were analyzing the launch and didn’t immediately provide more details.

According to earlier reports, U.S. Pacific Command spokesman and Cmdr. David Benham suggested two North Korean missiles “failed in flight” while the third one had “blown up almost immediately.”

The U.S. Pacific Command has since revised its evaluation of the missile launch, now reporting no missile failures — in line with the South Korean military assessment.  [Fox News]

You can read more at the link, but this is what PACOM originally put out:

The U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) also said, “Initial assessment indicates three short-range ballistic missile launches.”

“The first and third missiles at 11:49 a.m. (Hawaii time) and 12:19 p.m. failed in flight,” the PACOM’s spokesman Cdr. David Benham said in an emailed statement. “The second missile launch at 12:07 p.m. appears to have blown up almost immediately.”  [Yonhap]

Fortunately it seems like no one is over reacting to this launch.  North Korea conducts test launches during almost every Key Resolve and Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercise.  If anything this test launch is far less provocative than what they have launched in the past considering it is being reported they are either long range rockets or short range missiles:

The office said that the projectiles are believed to be artillery rockets from a multiple-rocket launcher, while the U.S. military reaffirmed its assessment characterizing those as short-range ballistic missiles.

“As of now, the unidentified projectiles fired by the North today are presumed to be improved 300-mm artillery rockets from a multiple-rocket launcher,” Yoon Young-chan, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said in a statement issued after the NSC session.

However, the U.S. Pacific Command said the projectiles were apparently ballistic missiles.  [Korea Times]

Whatever they were rockets or missiles it really doesn’t matter because the strategic messaging the Kim regime is sending is that they can attack a South Korean island with missiles or rockets and follow it up with an amphibious invasion:

In a simulated attack on the South Korean border islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong, North Korean planes hit targets as its multiple-missile launchers and self-propelled gun howitzers fired in salvo and shells hit unidentified North Korean islands.

Some of the North Korean special forces also parachuted into the islands and others landed by surprise using rubber boats. The simulated South Korean targets were later enveloped in flames, according to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but this is all situation normal on the Korean peninsula.