Trump promises more penalties after North Korea declared a ‘rocket power’
North Korea’s latest missile attempt has been condemned by world leaders, with US President Donald Trump promising more penalties after the launch of the rogue nation’s most powerful weapon yet.
After two months of relative quiet, North Korea fired a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday night that some observers believe could reach Washington and the entire eastern US seaboard.
A special state media broadcast released just hours later said North Korea had successfully fired a “significantly more” powerful, nuclear-capable ICBM it called the Hwasong-15.
Outside governments and analysts concurred the North had made a jump in missile capability.
Mr Trump has spoken with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the wake of the launch, yesterday tweeting that they had talked about “the provocative actions of North Korea”.
Mr Trump added: “Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today. This situation will be handled!”
A White House statement about the phone conversation between the two leaders said Mr Trump made clear “the determination of the United States to defend ourselves and our allies”.
Aresumptionofpyongyang’s torrid testing pace in pursuit of its goal of a viable arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles that can hit the US mainland had been widely expected, but the power of the missile and suddenness of the test still jolted the Korean Peninsula and Washington. The launch at 6:47pm GMT on Tuesday indicated an effort to perfect the element of surprise and to obtain maximum attention in the United States, where it was midday at the time of the test.
In a government statement released through state media, North Korea said the Hwasong-15 could be armed with a “super-large, heavy nuclear warhead” and is capable of striking the “whole mainland” of the United States. The North said the missile reached a height of 2,780 miles and travelled 590 miles before accurately hitting a sea target, similar to the flight data announced by South Korea’s military.
The statement said leader Kim Jong Un had “declared with pride” the country has achieved its goal of becoming a “rocket power”.
The firing is a clear message of defiance aimed at the Trump administration. It also ruins diplomatic efforts, raises fears of war or a pre-emptive US strike, and casts a deeper shadow over the security of the Winter Olympics early next year in South Korea.
A rattled Seoul responded by almost immediately launching three of its own missiles.