North Korea fires another ballistic missile, the 75th of Kim Jong Un’s tenure
TOKYO – North Korea fired another ballistic missile early Saturday morning but it failed within seconds, U.S. Pacific Command said.
“The missile did not leave North Korean territory,” Pacom spokesman Dave Benham said.
American and South Korean defense officials said that the missile appears to have exploded in flight.
President Trump had been briefed on the launch, the White House said in a two-sentence statement. “The administration is aware of the most recent North Korean missile test,” it said, without commenting on or condemning the launch.
The launch marked the 75th missile test of Kim Jong Un’s tenure and underscores both Kim’s determination to make technical progress on his weapons programs and his defiance amid international pressure. The launch coincides with renewed diplomatic and military pressure on North Korea from the Trump administration.
A U.S. Navy strike group, led by the aircarft carrier USS Carl Vinson, will be in the waters around the Korean Peninsula this weekend, and one of the Navy’s largest submarines has been in port in South Korea this week.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday called for new economic sanctions on North Korea and other “painful” measures over its nuclear weapons program.
“Failing to act now on the most pressing security issue in the world may bring catastrophic consequences,” Tillerson said during a special session of the U.N. Security Council. “The more we bide our time, the sooner we will run out of it.”
South Korea’s military said the missile was fired at about 5 a.m. North Korea time, and that it exploded within a few seconds of launch. The type of missile was not certain.
North Korea’s previous missile launch was on April 16, the day after huge military parade in Pyongyang to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of founder Kim Il Sung. It blew up almost immediately, U.S. Pacific Command said, complicating efforts to identify the missile’s size and range.
At that parade, North Korea presented two of its newest model missiles, including the submarine-launched ballistic type it successfully fired last year and the land-based version it launched last month.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...5405f56d3e4_story.html?utm_term=.1cf932d3c37f
TOKYO – North Korea fired another ballistic missile early Saturday morning but it failed within seconds, U.S. Pacific Command said.
“The missile did not leave North Korean territory,” Pacom spokesman Dave Benham said.
American and South Korean defense officials said that the missile appears to have exploded in flight.
President Trump had been briefed on the launch, the White House said in a two-sentence statement. “The administration is aware of the most recent North Korean missile test,” it said, without commenting on or condemning the launch.
The launch marked the 75th missile test of Kim Jong Un’s tenure and underscores both Kim’s determination to make technical progress on his weapons programs and his defiance amid international pressure. The launch coincides with renewed diplomatic and military pressure on North Korea from the Trump administration.
A U.S. Navy strike group, led by the aircarft carrier USS Carl Vinson, will be in the waters around the Korean Peninsula this weekend, and one of the Navy’s largest submarines has been in port in South Korea this week.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday called for new economic sanctions on North Korea and other “painful” measures over its nuclear weapons program.
“Failing to act now on the most pressing security issue in the world may bring catastrophic consequences,” Tillerson said during a special session of the U.N. Security Council. “The more we bide our time, the sooner we will run out of it.”
South Korea’s military said the missile was fired at about 5 a.m. North Korea time, and that it exploded within a few seconds of launch. The type of missile was not certain.
North Korea’s previous missile launch was on April 16, the day after huge military parade in Pyongyang to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of founder Kim Il Sung. It blew up almost immediately, U.S. Pacific Command said, complicating efforts to identify the missile’s size and range.
At that parade, North Korea presented two of its newest model missiles, including the submarine-launched ballistic type it successfully fired last year and the land-based version it launched last month.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...5405f56d3e4_story.html?utm_term=.1cf932d3c37f