North Korea said it sees the sanctions imposed Wednesday by the United States as an “open declaration of war” against Pyongyang and if they are not removed it threatened to take “the toughest countermeasures”. The announcement will raise strong objections in Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang.
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Reclusive North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
South Korea was quick to deny rumors following the comment that the deployment was under consideration and then kept a low profile, neither confirming nor denying the possibility that it was considering the missile system.
In a statement, the U.S. Strategic Command said it tracked a presumed KN-11 submarine-launched ballistic missile from North Korea’s eastern coast.
North Korea on Saturday test-fired what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), Seoul’s defence ministry said, a day after the United States and South Korea made a decision to deploy an advanced missile defence system in the South.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency says the missile’s engine ignited, but exploded about 10 kilometers into the air.
“We don’t consider the missile launch to be anything that would immediately affect Japan’s national security directly”, he told public broadcaster NHK. China, Russia and North Korea all say the THAAD deployment could help USA radars spot missiles in their countries.
The missile launch is a “clear challenge to UN Security Council resolutions”, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Saturday, according to the Kyodo news agency. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman.
North Korea’s acquiring the ability to launch missiles from submarines would be an alarming development for rivals and neighbours because missiles from submerged vessels are harder to detect in advance.
Seoul’s defence ministry noted that “North Korea has been persistent in violating United Nations resolutions by launching ballistic missiles continuously”.
The North tested a similar ballistic missile in April, calling it a success that strengthened their ability to attack enemies with “dagger of destruction”.
South Korea’s military has said the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system will bolster its defense against North Korean missiles, but its political leaders have been reluctant to commit to it because of China’s objections.
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The launches were the latest in a series of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests that have raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula and led to a tightening of worldwide sanctions in recent months.
