The US and South Korea on Friday agreed to deploy a missile defence system to counter threats from Pyongyang.
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“We strongly condemn North Korea’s continued military provocation, which includes its Musudan mid-range ballistic missile launch in last June 22, which is a blatant violation of the United Nations resolutions”, the officer said.
China is particularly concerned about the defense system in South Korea because its powerful radar could give the USA military the ability to quickly detect and track missiles launched in China, analysts said.
The missile was likely fired from a submarine as planned but appears to have failed in the early stage of flight, the Joint Chiefs said.
The North previously fired an SLBM missile on 23 April in a test hailed as an “eye-opening success” by leader Kim Jong-Un, who at the time declared his country had the ability to strike Seoul and the United States whenever it pleased.
News of the deployment came after the USA on Wednesday placed “Supreme Leader” Kim on its sanctions blacklist for the first time, calling him directly responsible for a long list of serious human rights abuses.
Stratcom said they believe the missile “fell” after being tracked over the Sea of Japan, also called the East Sea.
“This is a purely defensive system that we wouldn’t have to talk about and wouldn’t have to consider if the DPRK (North Korea) had proven, in recent weeks and months, willing to take a different, more peaceful path”, he said.
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. While security experts say it’s unlikely that North Korea possesses an operational submarine capable of firing missiles, they acknowledge that the North is making progress on such technology.
The U.S. said it was monitoring and assessing the situation in close coordination with its regional allies and partners.
North Korea already has a considerable arsenal of land-based ballistic missiles and is believed to be advancing its efforts to miniaturise nuclear warheads mounted on missiles through nuclear and rocket tests.
China’s foreign minister said on Saturday that THAAD exceeded the security needs of the Korean peninsula. “We have every reason, and the right, to question the real conspiracy behind this move”, Wang Yi was quoted by the state news agency Xinhua as saying during a trip to Sri Lanka.
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The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea.
