N. Korea goes ballistic on sanctions
Test fires missile as official dubs US efforts to rid nukes ‘wild dreams’
North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile Saturday in apparent defiance of a concerted United States’ push for tougher international sanctions to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons ambitions.
The latest launch, which South Korea said was a failure, came just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned the UN Security Council of “catastrophic consequences” if the international community — most notably China — failed to pressure the North into abandoning its weapons programme.
Military options for dealing with the North were still “on the table”, Tillerson warned in his first address to the UN body. The launch ratchets up tensions on the Korean peninsula, with Washington and Pyongyang locked in an ever-tighter spiral of threat, counter-threat and escalating military preparedness.
North Korea recently conducted its biggest-ever firing drill and has threatened to “bury at sea” the US aircraft carrier, amid signs it could be preparing for a sixth nuclear test.
South Korea’s defence ministry said it suspected Saturday’s missile test had failed after a brief flight, while the US military confirmed the rocket did not leave North Korean territory. South Korea condemned the launch, with foreign ministry spokesman Cho JuneHyuck saying if the North continued to “play with fire”, it would “face strong punitive steps in various levels”, including from the UN Security Council.
China pushed back at Tillerson’s call at the UN Security Council for it to do more to rein in Pyongyang, arguing that it was unrealistic to expect one country to solve the conflict.
Russia joined China in appealing for a return to talks and de-escalation.
Earlier, North Korea's deputy UN Ambassador had said on Friday that US efforts to get rid of his country's nuclear weapons through military threats and sanctions are “a wild dream.” Mr Kim said that the nuclear weapons are never part of “political bargains and economic deals.” — AFP, AP