U.S. urges North Korea to refrain from provocative actions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Sunday called on North Korea to refrain from provocative actions following reports Pyongyang had fired 10 short-range missiles into the sea off the east of the Korean peninsula. "We are closely monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a brief statement. "We once again call on North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions." (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Peter Cooney)