The South’s defence ministry said the launch indicated the North now has long-range missiles.
Advertisement
U.S. President Barack Obama said the launch is another example of North Korea’s behavior that violates previously passed U.N. Security Council resolutions.
He said: “It’s clear to me that our Chinese friends have indicated that the UN Security Council’s response will include sanctions and does need to go beyond previous resolutions”.
The comments came as leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan discussed how to punish the North for its latest defiant launch and nuclear test, eyeing “strong and effective” UN sanctions.
China has been wary of provoking its neighbor by cutting off trade, and analysts say Beijing fears a possible influx of refugees across its border should the North Korean regime collapse.
The White House has said it could introduce unilateral sanctions if necessary, but admits that room to punish the already heavily sanctioned nation is limited.
Officials in the United States, Japan, South Korea and a number of other nations, however, viewed the launch as primarily cover for the testing of military missile technology. Clapper said that “North Korea has been operating the reactor long enough so that it could begin to recover plutonium from the reactor’s spent fuel in a matter of weeks to months”.
Since the launch on Sunday, South Korea have collected around 270 pieces of debris thought to originate from the rocket.
In response, Park said that substantial steps must be taken by the worldwide community to make North Korea clearly understand that its nuclear development and economic advancement can not, by any means, succeed.
A state news agency in North Korea released an image believed to be the rocket that was recently launched by North Korea. The ministry did estimate, however, that Sunday’s rocket launch was a bit more powerful than a similar device fired in 2012. “We’re committed to the security of South Korea and that is exactly what this technology is meant to address, which is the threat that emanates from North Korea”.
Advertisement
There had been speculation the North might use a much larger rocket this time after having completed work on an extended 67-metre (220-foot) gantry tower capable of handling a launch vehicle twice the size of the 30-metre Unha-3.
