North Korea yesterday fired at least one short-range ballistic missile that landed in the sea off its east coast, the latest in a fast-paced series of missile tests defying world pressure and threats of more sanctions.
The missile was believed to be a Scud-class ballistic missile and flew about 450km, South Korean officials said.
North Korea has a large stockpile of the short-range missiles, originally developed by the Soviet Union.
Japan lodged a protest against the test missile, which appeared to have landed in its exclusive economic zone.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed action along with other nations to deter Pyongyang’s repeated provocations.
“As we agreed at the recent G7, the issue of North Korea is a top priority for the international community,” Abe told reporters in brief televised remarks. “Working with the United States, we will take specific action to deter North Korea.”
The launch followed two successful tests of medium to long-range missiles in as many weeks by the North, which has been conducting such tests at an unprecedented pace in an effort to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland.
North Korea is likely showing its determination to push ahead in the face of international pressure to rein in its missile program and “to pressure the [South Korean] government to change its policy on the North,” South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Roh Jae-cheon said.
The missile reached an altitude of 120km, Roh said.
“The assessment is there was at least one missile, but we are analyzing the number of missiles,” he said.
It was the third ballistic missile test-launch since South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office on May 10, pledging to engage with the reclusive neighbor in dialogue.
Moon has said sanctions alone have failed to resolve the growing threat from the North’s advancing nuclear and missile program.
Pyongyang, which has conducted dozens of missile tests and tested two nuclear bombs since the beginning of last year in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, says the program is necessary to counter US aggression.
US President Donald Trump had been briefed about the launch, the White House said.
The US Pacific Command said it tracked what appeared to be a short-range ballistic missile for six minutes and assessed it did not pose a threat to North America.
The US has said it was looking at discussing with China a new UN Security Council resolution and that Beijing, North Korea’s main diplomatic ally and neighbor, realizes time was limited to rein in its weapons program through negotiations.
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis, asked what a military conflict with North Korea might look like if diplomacy failed, said on Sunday it would be “probably the worst kind of fighting in most people’s lifetimes.”
“The North Korean regime has hundreds of artillery cannons and rocket launchers within range of one of the most densely populated cities on Earth, which is the capital of South Korea,” Mattis told CBS news program Face the Nation.
“In the event of war, they would bring danger to China and to Russia as well,” he said.
China reiterated that UN Security Council resolutions had “clear rules” about North Korean missile activities and it urged Pyongyang not to contravene them.
Russia condemned the launch and also called for restraint, “including toward military activity.”
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