Defying warnings from the US and China, North Korea has test-fired a ballistic missile.
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Defying warnings from the US and China, North Korea has test-fired a ballistic missile.
US military officials said the the missile was likely a medium-range weapon and appears to have broken up within minutes of the launch from the Pukchang region north of Pyongyang.
President Donald Trump tweeted:
“North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!”
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry went even further saying Pyongyang was ‘playing with fire’ and warned of tougher sanctions. The spokesperson went on to say that South Korea would ‘accelerate measures to improve deterrence with the combined South Korea-US defensive posture’ in order to protect its citizens.
The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group is heading towards the waters off the Korean peninsula where it will join the USS Michigan, a nuclear submarine in a show of force.
World powers are mulling further sanctions on the isolated nation, but previous rounds have done to little to deter Kim Jong Un’s nuclear ambitions.