Seoul/Washington - North Korea said on
Saturday it had conducted another successful test of an
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that proved its
ability to strike America's mainland, drawing a sharp warning
from US President Donald Trump and a rebuke from China.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised the
midnight launch of the missile on Friday night and said it was a
"stern warning" for the United States that it would not be safe
from destruction if it tries to attack, the North's official
KCNA news agency said.
North Korea's state television broadcast pictures of the
launch, showing the missile lifting off in a fiery blast in
darkness and Kim cheering with military aides.
"The test-fire reconfirmed the reliability of the ICBM
system, demonstrated the capability of making a surprise launch
of the ICBM in any region and place any time, and clearly proved
that the whole US mainland is in the firing range of the DPRK
missiles, (Kim) said with pride," KCNA said.
DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea.
The launch comes less than a month after the North conducted
its first ICBM test in defiance of years of efforts led by the
United States, South Korea and Japan to rein in Pyongyang's
nuclear weapons ambitions.
A man walks in front of a public TV screen broadcasting news of North Korea's test-firing of its second intercontinental ballistic missile, in Tokyo. The ticker above reads: "North Korea fired ICBM missile." Picture: Eugene Hoshiko/AP
The North conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests last
year and has engaged in an unprecedented pace of missile
development that experts said significantly advanced its ability
to launch longer-range ballistic missiles.
"By threatening the world, these weapons and tests further
isolate North Korea, weaken its economy, and deprive its
people," Trump said in a statement. "The United States will take
all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American
homeland and protect our allies in the region."
China, the North's main ally, said it opposed North Korea's
"launch activities that run counter to Security Council
resolutions and the common wishes of the international
community."
A foreign ministry statement added: "At the same time, China
hopes all parties act with caution, to prevent tensions from
continuing to escalate, to jointly protect regional peace and
stability."
Early on Saturday, the United States and South Korea
conducted a live-fire ballistic missile exercise in a display of
firepower in response to the missile launch, the US and South
Korean militaries said.
South Korea's Hyunmoo II Missile system fire missiles during the combined military exercise between the US and South Korea against North Korea at an undisclosed location in South Korea. Picture: South Korea Defense Ministry via AP
ALL OPTIONS
The Trump administration has said that all options are on
the table to deal with North Korea. However it has also made
clear that diplomacy and sanctions are its preferred course.
The foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan and the United
States held separate phone calls and agreed to step up strategic
deterrence against the North and push for a stronger UN Security Council sanctions resolution, the South and Japan said.
South Korea has also said it will proceed with the
deployment of four additional units of the US THAAD
anti-missile defence system that President Moon Jae-in has
earlier delayed for an environmental assessment.
Moon, who has pledged to engage the North in dialogue but
was snubbed by Pyongyang recently over his proposal to hold
cross-border military talks, said Seoul will also seek to expand
its missile capabilities.
China's Foreign Ministry expressed serious concern about the
announced move on THAAD, saying it will only make things more
complex. Beijing opposes the missile defence system because its
power radars can look deep into China.
"We strong urge South Korea and the United States to face
squarely China's concerns about its interests, stop the relevant
deployment process and withdraw the related equipment," the
foreign ministry said in a statement.
The missile test came a day after the US Senate approved a
package of sanctions on North Korea, Russia and Iran. Trump is
ready to sign the bill, the White House said on Friday.
The sanctions are likely to include measures aimed at
Chinese financial institutions that do business with North
Korea. Washington has also proposed a new round of U.N.
sanctions on North Korea following its July 4 ICBM test.
"RELIABLE ICBM BY YEAR-END"
In Friday's test, North Korea's Hwasong-14 missile, named
after the Korean word for Mars, reached an altitude of 3,724.9
km and flew 998 km for 47 minutes and 12 seconds before landing
in the waters off the Korean peninsula's east coast, KCNA said.
Western experts said the flight was an improvement on North
Korea's first test of an ICBM.
The flight demonstrated successful stage separation,
reliability of the vehicle's control and guidance to allow the
warhead to make an atmospheric re-entry under conditions harsher
than under a normal long-range trajectory, KCNA said.
The trajectory was in line with the estimates given by the
South Korean, US and Japanese militaries, which said the
missile was believed to be an ICBM-class rocket.
Independent weapons experts said the launch demonstrated
many parts of the United States were within range if the missile
had been launched at a flattened trajectory.
The US-based Union of Concerned Scientists said its
calculations showed the missile could have been capable of going
as far into the United States as Denver and Chicago.
David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists wrote in a
blog post that if it had flown on a standard trajectory, the
missile would have had a range of 10 400 km (6 500 miles).
Michael Elleman of the International Institute for Strategic
Studies estimated a range of at least 9,500 km and said the
window for a diplomatic solution with North Korea "is closing
rapidly."
"The key here is that North Korea has a second successful
test in less than one month," he said. "If this trend holds,
they could establish an acceptably reliable ICBM before year's
end."