The White House said Sunday it was aware of North Korea’s latest firing of a medium-range missile, the most recent in a flurry of balli…
The White House said Sunday it was aware of North Korea’s latest firing of a medium-range missile, the most recent in a flurry of ballistics tests that have rattled neighbors in the region.
U. S. officials traveling with President Trump in Saudi Arabia noted that the system used in Sunday’s launch had a shorter range than missiles fired in three previous tests. But the U. S. has repeatedly admonished North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over his drive to improve his reclusive country’s missile technology.
The firing last week of a mid-range missile that the North said was capable of carrying a heavy nuclear warhead drew White House warnings that North Korea posed a “flagrant menace.”
In Sunday’s test, South Korean officials said the missile flew eastward about 300 miles from the launch site before landing in the sea. It was tracked by the U. S. Pacific Command.
South Korea’s new president, Moon Jae-in, who took office this month, convened a meeting of top security officials to discuss Sunday’s launch. Moon has said he wants to try to open talks with the North, but that provocative actions would make that difficult or impossible.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also denounced the test and said it would be the subject of discussions this week with Western allies.
Despite international efforts to rein him in, Kim has been actively seeking to develop an intercontinental missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. North Korea deemed last week’s test a success, saying the missile, capable of carrying a heavy warhead, achieved a longer flight and greater altitude than in previous tests.
