NoKor fires missile ahead of Trump-Xi meeting
SEOUL (AP) — North Korea fired a newly developed powerful ballistic missile into its eastern waters yesterday, US and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct nuclear or longrange rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week.
The initial US and South Korean assessments indicated it was a KN-15 mediumrange missile, whose first publicly known test in February was considered by many foreign experts as a potentially worrying development. It uses solid fuel already loaded inside the missile, which would shorten launch preparation times, boost the weapon’s mobility and make it harder for outsiders to de- tect the signs of its liftoff.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had said after the February launch that the missile, called “Pukguksong-2” in North Korea, provided another nuclear attack capability against the United States and South Korea. Most of North Korea’s missiles use liquid propellant, which usually must be added on the launch pad before the weapon is fired.
The missile fired from land in the area of the eastern coastal city of Sinpo yesterday morning flew about 60 kilometers, according to a South Korean military statement. The missile launched in February flew about 500 kilometers, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the shorter distance meant yesterday’s launch was a failure.
North Korean state media said the “Pukguksong-2” missile is a surface-to-surface missile that can carry nuclear warheads. It is likely to be an upgraded version of the submarine-launched missile named “Pukguksong” launched last summer.