South Korea says North Korea may fire more missiles

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the United States remains concerned about North Korea's missile and nuclear programs but called North Korea's launches Thursday of short-range missiles "not unexpected."

South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing an unnamed military official, reported that all four missiles flew about 60 miles (100 kilometers).

Separately, a North Korean ship, which had changed course after being shadowed for more than a week by the U.S. Navy, passed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and was heading toward North Korea, South Korean news channel YTN reported, citing an unidentified diplomatic source.

The Kang Nam 1 — originally believed to be bound for Myanmar, possibly with illicit weapons on board — turned around at Myanmar's request and the Southeast Asian country appeared to have offered compensation to the North, YTN said.

A U.N. resolution passed after North Korea's May 25 nuclear test seeks to clamp down on the country's trading of banned arms and weapons-related material by requiring U.N. member states to request inspections of ships suspected of carrying prohibited cargo.

North Korea has said it would consider any interception of its ships a declaration of war.

President Barack Obama has vowed that the U.S. won't reward North Korea's bad behavior, and his administration has been pressing China — a key North Korean ally — to enforce the new U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Obama said he was trying to "keep a door open" for North Korea to return to international nuclear disarmament talks, but the country must abandon its nuclear weapons programs before it can join the world community.

He also said there could be more sanctions in store for the North for its May nuclear test, saying the implementation of U.N. sanctions is "going very well."

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