State Dept.: N. Korea missile tests ‘not helpful’

Although the White House has not yet weighed in, the State Department gave a statement to Agence France-Presse criticizing North Korea for launching seven “Scud-style” missiles into the sea off the nation’s east coast.

“North Korea should refrain from actions that aggravate tensions and focus on denuclearization talks,” State Department spokesman Karl Duckworth told AFP. “This type of North Korean behavior is not helpful.”

South Korea and Japan were more trenchant in their condemnation of North Korea’s latest provocation, while Russia and China “called on all parties to show restraint,” the New York Times reported. The United States, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia are all participants in the so-called Six-Party Talks aimed at persuading North Korea to curb its nuclear weapons program.

-Jeffrey Young