Third test-fire flop for Pyongyang

A NORTH Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch yesterday, South Korea and the United States said – the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a US supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters.

North Korean ballistic missile tests are banned by the United Nations because they are seen as part of the North’s push for a nuclear-tipped missile that can strike the US mainland. The latest test came as US officials pivoted from a hard line to diplomacy at the UN in an effort to address what may be Washington’s most pressing foreign policy challenge.

President Donald Trump tweeted: “North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!” He did not answer reporters’ questions about the missile launch upon returning to the White House from a day trip to Atlanta.

North Korea did not immediately comment on the launch. Hours before the test the UN Security Council held a ministerial meeting on Pyongyang’s escalating weapons programme. North Korea boycotted the meeting, which was chaired by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said the launch was the latest display of North Korea’s “belligerence and recklessness”.