China on Wednesday joined the global chorus of anger and concern over a planned rocket launch by North Korea, as Japan vowed to shoot down any missile that threatened its territory.
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The Reuters report quoted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as telling Japanese lawmakers “this will effectively mean the firing of a ballistic missile”.
South Korea warned on Wednesday of “searing” consequences if North Korea doesn’t abandon plans to launch a long-range rocket that critics call a banned test of ballistic missile technology.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Korea said Thursday it has detected preparations by rival North Korea to fire a long-range rocket and warned that Seoul will shoot down any rocket parts flying over South Korean territory.
Russel said a launch “would be an unmistakable slap in face to those who argue that you just need to show patience and dialogue with the North Koreans but not sanctions”, in an apparent reference to China.
Pyongyang last launched a long-range rocket in December 2012, which it also described as a communications satellite.
The success elevated concerns that North Korea was making progress in developing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads as far away as the continental U.S.
They said the blast was too small for it to have been a full-fledged hydrogen bomb.
On Jan. 6, North Korea pressed ahead with a nuclear test in violation of Security Council resolutions. The government hopes that Japan, the United States and South Korea will act in concert and strengthen ties to contain North Korea.
North Korea’s neighbors have been on heightened alert since Tuesday, when Pyongyang informed a United Nations maritime agency that it would launch a satellite between February 8-25 – despite being barred from using ballistic missile technology under UN resolutions. That could be seen as a snub to Beijing, North Korea’s most important ally which, nevertheless, has been unable to restrain Pyongyang’s actions.
With the recent announced plan of North Korea to launch a satellite this month – most likely for space warfare – the United States, Japan, and South Korea are in the same quandary on what to do.
Park also called for close cooperation with the worldwide community against North Korea’s provocations. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Lu Kang made the remark while expressing China’s opposition to “relevant countries” escalating tensions during the regular press conference on February 3.
But he added Wu was only in Pyongyang for the objective of “exchanging views with the North Korea side over the current situation of the Korean Peninsula”.
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Those locations are expected to be in the Yellow Sea off the Korean Peninsula’s west coast and in the Pacific Ocean to the east of the Philippines, Pyongyang said.
