US detects signs of new North Korea missile test

Washington: The Pentagon has picked up signs that North Korea is prepping for another missile test, a US defence official said on Tuesday (Jul 25), as the United States cited progress in pushing China to impose tough new UN sanctions.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official told AFP that if the test goes ahead, it would “probably” occur on Jul 27, which is the 64th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement.

The date is a public holiday in the nucleararmed North and celebrated as Victory Day.

The official said the test would be of either an intermediate-range missile or North Korea’s ICBM - known as a KN-20 or a Hwasong-14.

That would be the second time Pyongyang has tested an ICBM, after its July 4 rocket launch that caused global alarm. Experts assessed it could have put Alaska in range, bringing Pyongyang’s long-held dream of a missile that can deliver an atomic warhead to the United States within reach, and presenting President Donald Trump with a stark challenge. South Korea’s news agency Yonhap quoted a government source as saying Seoul had seen North Korea moving transporter erector launchers carrying ICBM launch tubes in North Pyongan province. “They’re setting up for something,” a second US defence official told AFP.

After North Korea’s July 4 test, the United States launched a push at the United Nations for tougher measures against Pyongyang. US Ambassador Nikki Haley on Tuesday cited progress in talks with China on imposing what she termed as “pretty serious” new UN sanctions.