North Korea: Launches were new missiles

PYONGYANG, North Korea, June 28 (UPI) -- The North Korean Defense Ministry said Thursday its recent missile launches involved new weapons still under development.

"The missiles that North Korea recently test-fired into the East Sea and the West Sea are ground-to-ground and ground-to-ship missiles with a range of around 100 kilometers," the ministry said in a news release, Yonhap reported. "They have not been deployed, as they are still in the development stage."

The news release was issued a day after North Korea's reported launch of three short-rang ballistic missiles into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, Yonhap reported. The launch was the third in a month.

"The U.S. is deeply troubled that North Korea has decided to launch these missiles during a delicate time in the six-party talks," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said, Yonhap reported.