Beijing, China. The latest news from Korea indicates that a defiant North Korea has launched a ballistic missile in defiance of US President Donald Trump as other stakeholders react to the increase in regional tensions.
North Korea test-fired a missile shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that failure to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs could lead to “catastrophic consequences.”
“Despite strong warnings by the international community, North Korea today went through its ballistic missile launch. It is a grave threat to our country. This is absolutely not acceptable. We strongly condemn such acts,” Abe told reporters in London
He called for a greater enforcement of UN sanctions against North Korea and requested the help of the rest of the world in pressuring North Korea to step back from its military threats.
North Korea test-fired the ballistic missile in the early hours of Saturday morning, reports in South Korea said, amid rising military tensions with the US and its coalition partners.
The missile, launched from a region north of the capital, Pyongyang, appeared to have blown up a few seconds into flight, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said.
CIA officials said the missile did not leave North Korean territory and was probably a medium-range missile known as a KN-17.
It was the second failed test of a ballistic missile this month and came amid a flurry of rhetoric from North Korea, warning of “imminent” war against the US. Donald Trump, the US president, said that North Korea “disrespected the wishes of China” with the missile test.
On Friday, Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state, warned that failure to curb North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes could lead to “catastrophic consequences”.
He called for a greater enforcement of UN sanctions against North Korea and requested the help of the rest of the world in pressuring North Korea to step back from its military threats, while not explaining why the USA is justified in involving itself in North Koreas internal choices.