SEOUL, 29 Nov 2017:
North Korea fired what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which landed close to Japan, officials said, Pyongyang’s first test launch since mid-September – with some scientists cautioning that Washington DC could now technically be within reach.
North Korea fired the missile a week after US president Donald Trump put North Korea back on a US list of countries that Washington says support terrorism. The designation allows the US to impose more sanctions, although some experts said it risked inflaming tensions on the Korean peninsula.
North Korea has conducted dozens of ballistic missile tests under its leader, Kim Jong Un, in defiance of UN sanctions. Trump has vowed not to let North Korea develop nuclear missiles that can hit the mainland US.
Of the latest test missile, Trump told reporters at the White House: “It is a situation that we will handle.”
Trump and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe spoke by phone and agreed to boost deterrence capability against North Korea, Yasutoshi Nishimura, deputy chief cabinet secretary, told reporters in Tokyo.
Trump said the launch did not change his administration’s approach to North Korea, which has included new curbs to hurt trade between China and North Korea.
Washington views the strategy as important to deterring Pyongyang from its ambition to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US.
Washington has said repeatedly that all options, including military ones, are on the table in dealing with North Korea, but that it prefers a peaceful solution by Pyongyang agreeing to give up its weapons programs.
“Diplomatic options remain viable and open, for now. The United States remains committed to finding a peaceful path to denuclearization and to ending belligerent actions by North Korea,” US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said.
Other than carrying out existing UN 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.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet later today to discuss North Korea’s latest missile launch. North Korea has given no indication it is willing to give up its weapons programs and re-enter diplomatic talks.
The US and Japan said the launch early today appeared to be an ICBM.
The Pentagon said its initial assessment was that an ICBM was launched from Sain Ni in North Korea and traveled about 1,000km before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. The missile did not pose a threat to the US, its territories or allies, the Pentagon said.
US defence secretary Jim Mattis said the ICBM went “higher frankly than any previous shot they’ve taken”.
Japan’s government estimated that the missile flew for about 50 minutes and landed in the sea in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Japanese broadcaster NHK said. A North Korean missile on Aug 29 was airborne for 14 minutes over Japan.
Japanese defence minister Itsunori Onodera said the missile reached an estimated altitude of 4,000km and broke up before landing in Japan’s exclusive economic zone. He 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 13,000km … Such a missile would have more than enough range to reach Washington DC and in fact any part of the continental United States,” the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists said.
“We do not know how heavy a payload this missile carried, but given the increase in range it seems likely that it carried a very light mock warhead,” the nonprofit science advocacy group said.
“If true, that means it would be incapable of carrying a nuclear warhead to this long distance, since such a warhead would be much heavier.”
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired from Pyongsong, a city in South Pyongan Province, at around 1817 GMT over the sea between South Korea and Japan. The South Korean military said the missile had an altitude of around 4,500km and flew 960km.
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 is no choice but for countries to keep applying pressure and sanctions against North Korea.
A US intelligence official said the initial indication was that the engine was not significantly more powerful than the Hwasong 14 which Pyongyang tested in July.
The Hwasong-14 is a two-stage ICBM North Korea tested twice in July. South Korean and US officials and defense experts have said the Hwasong-14 may have a range of about 10,000km and could possibly strike many parts of the US, but not the East Coast.
– Reuters