U.S. aware of reports of North Korea missile launch, consulting with allies -official

WASHINGTON, Aug 23 (Reuters) – The United States is aware of reports of a North Korean missile launch and is consulting with Japan and South Korea, a senior administration official said on Friday.

“We are aware of reports of a missile launch from North Korea, and continue to monitor the situation. We are consulting closely with our Japanese and South Korean allies,” the official said.

Earlier, Japan’s Coast Guard said it detected a suspected ballistic missile launch from North Korea, while Yonhap news agency quoted the South Korean military as saying North Korea had fired two projectiles into the sea off its east coast.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by David Alexander)