Kim Jong Un ordered the missile drill to be conducted for the first time from its capital, Pyongyang
North Korea said on Wednesday it had conducted a test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) to counter U. S. and South Korean military drills and as a first step in military action in the Pacific to „contain“ the U. S. territory of Guam.
The North’s leader Kim Jong Un ordered the missile drill to be conducted for the first time from its capital, Pyongyang, and said it was necessary to undertake more exercises with the Pacific as the target, the North’s KCNA news agency said.
„The current ballistic rocket launching drill like a real war is the first step of the military operation of the KPA in the Pacific and a meaningful prelude to containing Guam, “ KCNA quoted Kim as saying. The Korean People’s Army or KPA is the North’s military.
Earlier this month, North Korea threatened to fire four missiles into the sea near Guam, home to a major military presence, after U. S. President Donald Trump said the North would face „fire and fury“ if it threatened the United States.
Tuesday’s test was of the same Hwasong-12 missile Kim had threatened to use on Guam, but the test flight took it another direction, over northern Japan’s Hokkaido and into the North Pacific Ocean.
Trump, who has vowed not to let North Korea develop nuclear missiles that can hit the mainland United States, said the world had received North Korea’s latest message „loud and clear“.
„Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among all nations of the world. All options are on the table, “ Trump said in a statement on Tuesday.
The launch came as U. S. and South Korean forces conducted annual military exercises on the Korean peninsula, angering Pyongyang which sees the war games as a preparation for invasion.
North Korea has conducted dozens of ballistic missile tests under Kim in defiance of U. N. sanctions, but firing a projectile over mainland Japan was a rare and provocative move.
Reports of the launch by North Korean media were lacking the usual boasts of technical advances, indicating the test may not have accomplished its intended technical goals.
For more on North Korea, watch Fortune’s video:
The 2,700 km (1,680 miles) the missile flew before splashing down was much shorter and at a lower trajectory than that of an earlier and lofted launch of the same missile. The May launch would have had a range of about 4,800 km on a standard trajectory, an expert on missile technology, David Wright said.
„It is not clear what new North Korea would have learned from this launch that is relevant to a long-range missile, “ Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists said.
The shorter range points to an intended early cutting of the engine thrust or a possible mechanical problem, as the trajectory taken would not have been useful in simulating re-entry or heating of the missile, Wright wrote in a blog post.
Japan reacted sharply to the missile overflight, warnings residents to take cover as the missile approached and raising protests at the United Nations.
The United States has said before that all options, including military, are on the table, although its preference is for a diplomatic solution.
U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the launch was „absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible“ and that the Security Council now needed to take serious action.
The Security Council earlier this month unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea after it staged two long-range missile launches in July.
South Korea and the United States had discussed deploying additional „strategic assets“ on the Korean peninsula, South Korea’s presidential Blue House said in a statement, without giving more details.

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Sandra Bullock is the latest celebrity to lend aid to the victims of the devastating Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
Sandra Bullock is the latest celebrity to lend aid to the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
The actress donated $1 million dollars to the relief efforts of the American Red Cross, People reported on Tuesday. Bullock is a long-time supporter of the American Red Cross and owns a home in Austin.
Bullock said that despite the current political divide and turmoil in the country, she hopes that, at the very least, the storm provides an opportunity for Americans to unite. „There are no politics in eight feet of water, “ the star, who has a history of donating to humanitarian aid projects, told People. „There are human beings in eight feet of water.“
See photos from Hurricane Harvey:
Among other celebrities to pledge their support for relief in Texas are Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kim Kardashian West, Lin-Manuel Miranda, DJ Khaled, and Nicki Minaj. The Walt Disney Company has also donated $1 million to Red Cross relief efforts. Facebook announced that it will match donations made on its website up to $1 million.
Although Hurricane Harvey has been downgraded from the category 4 storm it was when it made landfall to a tropical storm, it is still expected to pour at least another 39 inches during the week. So far, the storm has killed 19 people and caused over $3 billion in property damage.
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Trump assured officials that he wants Harvey to be managed better than any other hurricane or major storm.
Transcript for Trump visited with state officials in Corpus Christi and Austin
President trump traveling to Texas today saying he wants this natural disaster to be managed better than any other. He visited with officials in Corpus Christi and Austin, and took time to greet regular people who showed up to see him waving the Texas flag. ABC’s Cecilia Vega is in rockport tonight. Reporter: President trump and the first lady arriving in corpus Christie today. Inside a local fire house, a sit down with state officials and the head of FEMA. It’s a real team, and we want to do it better than ever before. We want to be looked at in five years, in ten years from now as, this is the way to do it. Reporter: The president offering high praise for the officials in the room, but with this caveat. We won’t say congratulations. We don’t want to do that. We don’t want to congratulate. We’ll congratulate each other when it’s all finished. Reporter: His presidential motorcade driving through streets that did not suffer severe damage. The white house says they did not want to disrupt rescue and recovery efforts. Outside the firehouse, the president greeted by hundreds of cheering supporters. Then a presidential pep talk. I want to thank you for coming out. We’re going to get you back and operating immediately. Thank you, everybody. What a crowd what a turnout the catastrophe still unfolding. Reporter: But the president’s tone was upbeat. This is history irk. It’s epic what happened, but you know what? It happened in Texas, and Texas can handle anything. Thank you, folks. Reporter: Finally, he pulled out the Texas flag before taking off to tour the state’s emergency operations center in Austin. Before his trip, the president said Texas would be quote, „Up and running very, very quickly.“ But today he acknowledged the long road ahead. The sad thing is this is long term nobody’s ever seen anything this long and nobody’s ever seen this much water. Cecilia Vega joins us live now from rockport, Texas, and Cecilia, the president is planning a return to visit the region later in the week? Reporter: Tom, he will be in Texas and Louisiana this weekend. Today’s trip was just a short one. Most of his time spent with first responders and state officials. It does not appear that president trump met with any survivors of the storm, but just as they were taking off on air force one tonight, the first lady had a message for those survivors saying she sends her thoughts and her prayers, Tom, and the number of evacuees will rise. Cecilia Vega for us tonight.
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In the midst of the Harvey devastation, North Korea launched a missile over 130 million people in Japan sparking high-alert sirens and massive text messages advising people to seek shelter.
Transcript for Trump warns North Korea ‚all options are on the table‘
Just before the president left for the storm zone in Texas, he responded to North Korea’s latest missile launch, a rocket that flew over Japan. It triggered air rate sirens and text mail alerts. President trump is warning all options a on the table. Here’s ABC’s chief global affairs correspondent, Martha Raddatz. Reporter: President trump is confronting one on the world stage. What are you going to do about North Korea? We’ll see, we’ll see. Reporter: Kim Jong-un launching an intermediate range missile, soaring 1600 miles, crossing above the Japanese island of hokkaido, before crashing into the sea. The first time Kim Jong-un has made such a provocative move over Japanese territory. In Japan, high alert sirens sounding. People receiving text messages telling them to seek shelter. No country should have missiles flying over them like those 130 million people in Japan. So I think something serious has to happen. Reporter: In a statement president trump saying only „All optiwns are on the table.“ Martha Raddatz joins us from Washington, and Martha, the president recently threatened to respond to new provocations from Kim Jong-un with fire and fury. Just last week, he said he believed the north Korean leader was starting to respect us, but it doesn’t appear that way anymore. Reporter: It sure doesn’t, Tom. That statement about respect was clearly premature. You see Kim right there watching the launch. President trump has spoken with Japan’s prime minister and both agreed they need to increase pressure on North Korea, but it is unclear what kind of pressure, and impossible to predict what Kim will do, Tom. Martha Raddatz for us tonight, thank you.
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