North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile Test
MEP: North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile into nearby seas on Sunday in the first such test since Donald Trump took office as US president.
“The South Korean government and the international community are working together to take punitive actions appropriate for this launch,” acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn said.
Trump on Saturday assured Japan it has the full support of the United States following the missile launch.
“I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent,” Trump said at a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Kim Jong Un’s regime has accelerated North Korea’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons and missiles that can strike the U.S. and its allies in Asia. In response, the U.S. has looked to deploy a missile defense system known as Thaad in South Korea, a move opposed by China — North Korea’s primary ally.
Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, spoke to his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan Jin, according to the South Korean President’s office. They both condemned the launch and agreed “to seek all possible options” to deter Pyongyang in the future.
The missile flew about 500km before falling into the sea, a South Korean defence ministry spokesman said, adding the exact type of missile had yet to be identified.
“It is believed that the missile launch … is aimed at drawing global attention to the North by boasting its nuclear and missile capabilities,” the ministry said in a statement.
North Korea has conducted a number of nuclear tests in the past year in acts of aggression that continue to alarm and anger the region.
