U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has reiterated, following the North's firing of five short-range missiles, that North Korea's pursuit of a nuclear program is unacceptable.

Clinton told reporters during a visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland, that the missile launch won’t deter the U.S. from working to resolve the nuclear dispute. She said the goals remain the same and that the U.S. intends to work toward a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula that can be verified. She said the international community will not accept Pyongyang's continuing nuclear program.

She said parties of the six-way talks continue to cooperate on the implementation of U.N. sanctions and efforts to resume the six-way talks.

A South Korean government source said North Korea on Monday fired five KN-02 short-range ground-to-ground missiles with a range of 120 kilometers into the East Sea.