Bolton told reporters in Tokyo on Saturday that there was "no doubt" that North Korea's recent launches violated U.N. resolutions, and that sanctions against the North must be kept in place.
Mr. Trump later downplayed the missile tests, tweeting, "North Korea fired off some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me.".
North Korea tested short-range ballistic missiles on May 4 and 9, ending a pause in launches that began in late 2017.
In the statement carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, the North Korean spokesman said the North was rightfully exercising its rights of self-defense with the launches.
Bolton acknowledged that the United States has not been "hearing much from North Korea" since the summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The North Korean statement came as South Korea began its annual summertime defense drills involving thousands of civilians and troops.
The drills have been modified to exclude large-scale military exercises with the United States that were suspended to create space for diplomacy with the North. »
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