North Korea breaks silent for its missile test as it first launch since mid-September, a week after U.S. President Donald Trump put North Korea back on a list of U.S. list of countries that support terrorism.
Although US allows United States to imposed more sanctions to North Korea designated being a terrorist, experts said it risked inflaming tensions on the Korean peninsula.
Trump vowed not to let North Korea develop nuclear missiles that can hit the United States mainland. Under Kim Jong Un leadership, north Korea has conducted dozens of ballistic missile tests.
According to South Korean military, the missile was fired on a steep trajectory, reaching an altitude of approximately 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and flew 960 km (600 miles) before landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone.
“It went higher frankly than any previous shot they’ve taken, a research and development effort on their part to continue building ballistic missiles that can threaten everywhere in the world, basically,” U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters at the White House.
“It is a situation that we will handle,” Trump told reporters at the White House, speaking about the latest test.
President Trump and PM Abe spoke by phone and agreed to boost deterrence capability against North Korea, deputy chief cabinet secretary told reporters in Tokyo.
Trump, who was briefed on the missile while it was in flight, said it did not change his administration’s approach to North Korea, which has included new curbs to hurt trade between China and North Korea.
As the "all options are on the table" in dealing with North Korea including military, Washington still prefers a peaceful solution by Pyongyang agreeing to give up its weapons programs.
“Diplomatic options remain viable and open, for now,” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. “The United States remains committed to finding a peaceful path to denuclearize and to ending belligerent actions by North Korea.”
Other than carrying out existing U.N. sanctions, “the international community must take additional measures to enhance maritime security, including the right to interdict maritime traffic” traveling to North Korea, Tillerson said in a statement.
Pentagon's initial assesment was that an ICBM was launch from Sain Ni in North Korea and traveled about 1,000 km (620 miles) before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. "The missile did not pose a threat to the United States, its territories or allies," the Pentagon said.
Japanese official said that the missile flew for 53 minutes and broke up before landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said it was judged to be ICBM class given its lofted trajectory.
“If these numbers are correct, then if flown on a standard trajectory rather than this lofted trajectory, this missile would have a range of more than 13,000 km (8,100 miles) … Such a missile would have more than enough range to reach Washington, D.C., and in fact any part of the continental United States,” the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists said.
Minutes after the North fired the missile, South Korea’s military conducted a missile-firing test in response, the South Korean military said.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the launch had been anticipated and that the government had been preparing for it. Moon said there was no choice but for countries to keep applying pressure and sanctions against North Korea.
“The situation could get out of control if North Korea perfects its ICBM technology,” Moon said, according to the Blue House after a national security council meeting.
“North Korea shouldn’t miscalculate the situation and threaten South Korea with a nuclear weapon, which could elicit a possible pre-emptive strike by the United States.”
A U.S. intelligence official said the initial indication was that the engine was not significantly more powerful than the Hwasong-14 – a two-stage ICBM North Korea tested twice in July.
No comments:
Post a Comment