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Published on Oct 16, 2016
美 "北 중거리 탄도미사일 시험발사•실패…강력 규탄"
North Korea has once again attempted to launch a ballistic missile... and failed.
North Korea has once again attempted to launch a ballistic missile... and failed.
The latest test was detected Saturday afternoon, marking the regime's seventh test this year, and it comes less than a week before key talks between Seoul and U.S. foreign and defense ministers in Washington.
Kwon Jang-ho has our top story.
At around 12:30 p.m. Korea time on Saturday, North Korea attempted to launch a single Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile.
According to U.S. Strategic Command, the launch was detected near the northwestern city of Kusong, but it apparently failed shortly after take-off.
It's the seventh Musudan missile to have been tested this year alone.
Only one of them has been successful.
Seoul strongly condemned Saturday's launch, stressing that it was yet another violation of UN sanctions.
"This latest provocation is an attack on the UN's authority. This reckless behavior will only strengthen the resolve of the international community to increase pressure and sanctions on the regime. We must make Pyongyang realize that such actions will only make it more isolated and will bring more economic difficulties."
A Pentagon spokesperson reiterated this stance, adding that the U.S. commitment to South Korea's defense is "ironclad."
The launch is thought to be a reaction to the joint South Korea-U.S. naval drills that concluded on Saturday, as well as a comment made earlier this week by Daniel Russel, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who said if North Korean leader Kim Jong-un were to carry out a nuclear attack, U.S. retaliation would mean he would "immediately die."
Pyongyang called the statement a hostile act, hurting the dignity of the regime's leadership, and going beyond the limits of tolerance.
South Korea and U.S. defense and foreign ministers are set to meet in Washington next week to discuss Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test, which occurred last month, but now this latest missile launch is also set to be another topic on the table.
Kwon Jang-Ho, Arirang News.
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