Tillerson calls for stiffer sanctions on N. Korea
Pyongyang launches ballistic missile that fails after takeoff
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday urged the United Nations Security Council to impose new economic sanctions on North Korea, warning of a “catastrophic” outcome if the world fails to block Pyongyang’s rush to develop a nuclear warhead that it can put atop a longrange missile.
In his debut speech at the U.N., Tillerson also urged Security Council members to further isolate Kim Jong Un’s government by suspending or downgrading diplomatic relations with Pyongyang, and threatened to slap penalties on thirdparty countries that don’t comply with existing sanctions.
Hours after Tillerson spoke, North Korea’s military launched a ballistic missile from north of Pyongyang that apparently crashed nearby or in waters just offshore. U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Cmdr. David Benham said in a statement that the missile “did not leave North Korean territory.” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile flew for several minutes and reached a maximum height of 44 miles before it apparently failed.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said it was likely a medium-range KN-17 ballistic missile.
It broke up a couple minutes after the launch, and the pieces fell into the Sea of Japan.
North Korea’s state media reiterated on Friday the country’s goal of developing a nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States.
The Rodong Sinmun newspaper also said that the North revealed two types of new intercontinental ballistic missiles in an April 15 military parade honoring its late state founder, Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un. The parade featured previously unseen large rocket canisters and launcher trucks.
The White House said President Donald Trump was briefed on the launch. It’s not known if the missile was meant as a rebuke to the White House, or was just the latest of at least seven short and mid-range missile tests Pyongyang has conducted this year, several of which have failed.