Nuclear launch angers leaders

NUCLEAR-ARMED North Korea launched four ballistic missiles yesterday in another challenge to President Donald Trump, with three landing provocatively close to American ally Japan.

Seoul and Washington began annual joint military exercises last week that always infuriate Pyongyang, with the North’s military warning of merciless nuclear counter-action.

Under leader Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang has ambitions to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the US mainland – which Trump vowed will not happen.

Seoul said four missiles were fired into the East Sea -- its name for the Sea of Japan. The missiles travelled around 1 000km and reached an altitude of 260km.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said three of the North Korean missiles came down in Tokyo’s Exclusive Economic Zone -- waters extending 370km from its coast.

“This clearly shows North Korea has entered a new stage of threat,” Abe said.

The North’s repeated launches clearly violate UN Security Council resolutions, he said. “We can never tolerate this.” After an emergency meeting of South Korea’s National Security Council, acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn called the North’s nuclear and missile provocations real threats to his country.

In Washington, the state department condemned the launches, saying the US was ready to “use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat”.

“We remain prepared -- and will continue to take steps to increase our readiness -- to defend ourselves and our allies from attack,” acting spokesman Mark Toner said.