The launch was widely condemned by the U.S. and other major powers but analysts saw it as a clear step forward for North Korea’s nuclear strike ambitions.
Advertisement
Inada told a press briefing Monday that the DPRK’s capabilities are “definitely improving” as all three missiles were fired simultaneously and landed in the same area in the Sea of Japan.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday morning.
While the regime’s nuclear and missile programs are a threat to the US and its allies, South Korea and Japan, Kirby said the (quote) “reckless launches by North Korea threaten civil aviation and maritime commerce in the region”.
But it was the first time since the situation escalated this summer that Obama has promised to work with US allies to tighten the noose.
The US and Japan lodged a protest against Monday’s test-firing and requested a meeting of the United Nations security council in NY. Beijing has been angered by U.S.
The DPRK also stands opposed to the United States and South Korea deciding to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea to counter perceived threats.
At the meeting, North Korean premier Pak Pong-ju stressed the need for all economic and planning officials to “materialize” the idea of the North’s leader “without fail”, according to the KCNA.
Park said a string of nuclear tests and continued missile launches by North Korea were threatening the security of the Korean Peninsula.
Of course, the issue brought up the THAAD anti-missile system from the U.S.to South Korea.
The latest missiles were launched from a region called Hwangju and came just hours after the leaders of South Korea and China met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China. But Beijing fears its powerful radar could be used against its own military.
While any missile that passes Seoul’s defenses would be potentially devastating for those in its path, the true threat posed by North Korea to its neighbors comes from its purported ability to equip such weapons with nuclear warheads. The allied countries insist the THAAD is only part of a layered defense system that includes lower-altitude Patriots that together would protect the entire country.
“We are maintaining a full readiness posture in preparation for additional provocations”, announced South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Recent efforts have flown greater distances, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile on August 24 that flew about 310 miles and also landed near Japan. There was no prior warning issued by Pyongyang.
Advertisement
The state media described the test-firing as “perfect” and said the drill has proved that the strategic force of the military is “capable of mounting a preemptive attack on the enemies any time and from any place”. North Korea’s official state newspaper Rodong Sinmun ran color photos of Kim Jong-un supervising the missile launch on its front page. In addition to the 10 Asean members, leaders of China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Russia and the United States are gathered in Laos for the conferences.
