N Korea missile firing was ''routine exercise''

WASHINGTON, May 25 (Reuters) The White House dismissed North Korea's firing of a several short-range missiles today as a ''routine exercise.'' Japan and South Korea also played down the significance, as did US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the top US envoy on the North Korean nuclear issue.

''It appears to be a routine exercise,'' said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.

Efforts are under way to get six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear arms program back on track. Under a February deal reached at the talks, North Korea agreed to begin work to scrap its nuclear weapons projects, but has demanded formerly frozen funds in a Macau bank be transferred to North Korea first.

Japan's NHK television said the missiles, fired from both the east and west coasts of North Korea, were surface-to-ship types.

Pyongyang fired a salvo of missiles in July last year which included one long-range missile and several short-range missiles.

Reuters RJ GC1958