Washington/Seoul – North Korea attempted to fire a ballistic missile early Saturday, the US and South Korea said, just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson demanded “new pressure” and further sanctions against Pyongyang at the UN Security Council.
In an apparent show of defiance, the reclusive state attempted to launch the missile from an area north of Pyongyang, however it exploded seconds after lift-off, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean military.
US Pacific Command said the launch occurred near the Pukchang airfield at 10.33 am Hawaiian time (2033 GMT Friday), but the missile did not leave North Korean territory.
US President Donald Trump responded to the launch saying that it “disrespected the wishes of China.”
April 15, 2017 – Pyongyang – Missile force of Korean People’s Army attend a military parade in central Pyongyang. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Saturday showcased its military muscles by parading all of its most-advanced ballistic and tactic missiles, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile which could strike targets 1000 km away. (Credit Image: © Cheng Dayu/Xinhua via ZUMA Wire) Photo: Cheng Dayu via ZUMA/dpa)
“North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Since a visit by Chinese President Xi Xinping to the US in early April, Trump has been striking a more positive tone towards China in an attempt to woo Beijing into doing more to deal with the North Korean nuclear threat.
Pyongyang made a failed ballistic missile launch attempt on April 16, a day after it celebrated the 105th birthday of North Korea’s late founding leader, and reportedly held its largest ever firing drill this week to mark the 85th anniversary of the foundation of its military.
In New York on Friday, Tillerson called for all member countries to “fully implement” the United Nations’ commitments regarding North Korea.
He urged countries to suspend or downgrade diplomatic relations with Pyongyang and step up “financial isolation” of the regime.
“In light of the growing threat, the time has come for all of us to put new pressure on North Korea to abandon its dangerous path,” Tillerson said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks at a map during an inspection of the Headquarters of Large Combined Unit 380 of the KPA in Pyongyang, picture dated November 25, 2016. (Credit Image: © Kcna/Xinhua via ZUMA Wire) Photo: KCNA/Xinhua via Zuma
He called for the “international community” to halt flows of North Korean guest workers and ban the regime’s exports, particularly coal.
“We must all do our share, but China, accounting for 90 per cent of North Korean trade – China alone has economic leverage over Pyongyang that is unique, and its role is therefore particularly important,” Tillerson said.
Amid the increased tensions, two Japanese destroyers began a joint drill on Sunday with a group of US warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, in the Western Pacific Ocean.
-dpa
