North Korean missile ‘could cover the entire mainland United States’
North Korea has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that has landed near Japanese waters.
Itisitssecondmajorweapons test this month which showed a potential ability to launch nuclear strikes on all of the US mainland.
Theunitedstatesquicklycondemned the launch and vowed to take “all necessary measures” to guarantee the safety of its mainland and allies South Korea and Japan.
Vicepresidentkamalaharris will separately meet with leaders of allies, who are attending a regional forum in Bangkok, to discuss the recent ballistic missile launch. “We strongly condemn these actions and we again call for North Korea to stop further unlawful, destabilisingacts.onbehalfoftheunitedstates,ireaffirmourironclad commitmenttoourindo-pacific alliances,” Ms Harris said at the start of the meeting.
“Together the countries represented here will continue to urge North Korea to commit to serious and sustained diplomacy.”
The North’s ongoing torrid run of weapons tests aims to advance its nuclear arsenal and win greater concessions in eventual diplomacy, and the launches come as China and Russia have opposed US moves to toughen sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear programme.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the ICBM launchfromnorthkorea’scapital region around 10.15am and the weapon flew toward the North’s eastern coast across the country.
Japansaidtheicbmappeared tohaveflownonahightrajectoryandlandedwestofhokkaido.
According to South Korean and Japanese estimates, the North Korean missile flew about 3,600-3,790 miles at a maximumaltitudeof620miles.
Japanese defence minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters the altitude suggests the missile was launched on a high angle.hesaiddependingonthe weightofawarheadtobeplaced on the missile, the weapon has a range exceeding 9,320 miles, “inwhichcaseitcouldcoverthe entire mainland United States”.
US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the launch “needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilising”regionalsecuritywhile showing the North’s prioritising of unlawful weapons programmes over the well-being of its people.
She said President Joe Biden was briefed. “Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilising actions and instead choose diplomatic engagement,” Ms Watson said.
Mr Hamada, the Japanese defence minister, called the launch “a reckless act that threatens Japan as well as the region and the international community”.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff called the launch “a grave provocationandseriousthreat” toundermineinternationaland regional peace and security.
It said South Korea maintains readiness to make “an overwhelming response to any North Korean provocation” amid close co-ordination with the US.
After being briefed over the launch, South Korean Presidentyoonsukyeolorderedofficialstoboostsecurityco-operation with the US and Japan and implement unspecified deterrence steps previously agreed upon with the United States.