The United States assessed that North Korea's ballistic missile launch does not pose an immediate threat to the U.S. mainland or to allies.
On the 20th (local time), U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees the Indo-Pacific region, said in a "statement on North Korea's missile launch" that "based on our current assessment, these events do not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory or to our allies."
It added, "We are aware of the recent (North Korean) missile launches and are consulting closely with allies and partners," and "The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region."
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), around 5 p.m. on the 20th Korea time, North Korea launched more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area toward the East Sea. Military authorities are focusing their analysis on the possibility that North Korea fired 600-mm super-large multiple rocket launchers (KN-25). North Korea has claimed that the weapon can be fitted with the "Hwasan-31" tactical nuclear warhead.
In particular, the launch came right after U.S. President Donald Trump sent a series of "dialogue love calls" to North Korea. Earlier, on the 16th, President Trump ordered a drastic scaling back of Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), the annual South Korea-U.S. combined military exercise. He then said on the 19th that he would meet Kim Jong-un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, within the year.
It is also notable that North Korea's missile provocation occurred just after Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, finished his visit to South Korea and departed. This North Korean missile launch appears to both express dissatisfaction that the South Korea-U.S. combined exercise proceeded despite being scaled back on President Trump's orders and to pressure for a complete halt to the drills.