- On 29 November, North Korea said it successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that could anywhere on the US mainland
- On 28 November, North Korea fired a ballistic missile that landed close to Japan
- US President Donald Trump and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe agreed to boost their response to North Korea’s missile programme
United Nations Security Council ministers will meet on 15 December to discuss North Korea's nuclear and missiles programs and the body will also meet separately this month to discuss human rights abuses in the North Asian country, an annual meeting that its ally China has tried to prevent for the past three years.
US President Donald Trump spoke to South Korean President Moon Jae-In on Thursday for the second time since North Korea’s missile launch, to compel “North Korea to return to the path of denuclearisation at any cost”, reports Reuters.
“The presidents reiterated their strong commitment to enhancing the alliance’s deterrence and defense capabilities,” the White House said, according to Reuters.
North Korea said on Wednesday that it has successfully tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could reach anywhere on the US mainland.
Earlier on Tuesday, North Korea fired a ballistic missile that landed close to Japan, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, drawing condemnation from world leaders.
The Washington Examiner reports that while Trump has declined to rule out a military strike on North Korea, Moon and other leaders in the region have warned against this considering the likelihood of thousands of civilian casualties in South Korea and Japan that would take place if the US did launch an attack on North Korea.
UN Chief Antonio Guterres condemned North Korea missile launch and urged Pyongyang to “desist from taking any further destabilizing steps”.
The Pentagon also said on Tuesday that it had detected a missile launch from North Korea. The Pentagon added that it suspects the missile may be an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile.
US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to boost their response to North Korea's missile programme and urged China to do more, a government spokesman said on Wednesday. The Trump administration also threatened new sanctions on North Korea on Wednesday, reports PBS News.
French President Emmanuel Macron said, “I condemn the new ballistic irresponsible trial of North Korea. It reinforces our determination to increase the pressure on Pyongyang and our solidarity to our partners.
NATO Secretary Generalk Jens Stoltenberg and British ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, also criticised the “reckless move”.
We detected a missile launch from North Korea. We are in the process of assessing the situation and will provide additional details when available.Colonel Robert Manning, Pentagon Spokesperson
Meanwhile, China too expressed “grave concern” over North Korea’s new missile firing.
"China expresses grave concern and opposition to the relevant launching activities and strongly urges it to observe the relevant resolution of the UNSC and stop action that heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing while reacting to the launch of the ICBM by North Korea.
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 United States to impose more sanctions, although some experts said it risked inflaming tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The launch which took place on early Tuesday afternoon in the U.S. capital, indicated North Korea’s efforts to perfect the element of surprise and obtain maximum attention in the U.S.
President Trump responded on the missile launch stating that the US would “take care of it.” The US President also urged China to take a tough stand against North Korea’s ‘provocative action’.
US Defense Secretary James Mattis said that North Korea’s ICBM launch “went higher than any previous shot they've taken,” and is a part of an effort to build missiles “that can threaten everywhere in the world.”
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday urged the international community to take new steps to press Pyongyang to halt development of nuclear arms.
“In addition to implementing all 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. He also welcomed Chinese efforts on North Korea, but said Beijing could do more to limit its oil exports to the country, reports Reuters.
North Korea’s latest missile launch is a “further unacceptable violation” of its international obligations, a spokesperson for the European Union foreign affairs chief said.
This is the first test by Pyongyang since a missile fired over neighbouring Japan in mid-September.
Two authoritative US government sources had earlier said that experts believed North Korea could conduct a new missile test within days, in what would be its first launch since it fired a missile over Japan in mid-September.
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday North Korea’s missile technology seems to have improved, following the launch of what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed close to Japan.
Moon made the remark to US President Donald Trump in a phone call, his office said, during which both heads of state said they would talk further on measures to respond to North Korea's.
This administration is focused on one big thing when it comes to North Korea, and that’s denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Anything beyond that is not the priority at this point.Whitehouse Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, as reported by Reuters
(With inputs from Reuters)
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