Another missile from North Korea. Kim teases Trump and China. Moon asks for UN intervention
Pyongyang claims a successful launch of an "intercontinental" missile. The Japanese government submits a formal protest to the UN. South Korean President Moon Jae-in also calls for the United Nations to intervene. The G20 in Hamburg will discuss the event in a trilateral meeting between Abe, Trump and Moon.
Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - North Korea has tested another missile defying international pressure prompting US President Donald Trump's rapid reaction. The missile flew for 930 kilometers before landing in the waters of Japan. Pyongyang Television has been proclaiming the success of the "intercontinental" missile, capable of striking up to Japan and even Alaska.
The launch took place at 9.40am (local time) from Panghyon Airport, about 100km northwest of Pyongyang. The estimated flight time was about 40 minutes. The Japanese government filed a formal protest for the violation of United Nations resolutions. The launch of the missile took place a few days ahead of the start of the G20 on July 7 and 8 when US, Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean leaders will discuss efforts to curb nuclear tests in North Korea.
In recent days, North Korea was at the center of a phone call between China's President Xi Jinping and Trump. Trump also spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Abe announced that he will discuss North Korea with Trump and South Korean President Jae-in at a trilateral meeting on the margins of the G20 summit in Hamburg.
"World leaders will meet at the G20 and I want to take this opportunity to appeal strongly to the international community for a coordinated response to North Korea," Abe said. Trump reaffirmed that the Japan-US alliance "is ready to defend and respond to any threat or action taken by North Korea." Abe also said he wanted to appeal to Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin to take a "more active" role towards Pyongyang.
After the news of the latest launch, Trump wrote on Twitter: "North Korea has just launched another missile. Does this guy have nothing better to do with his life?" With clear reference to the North's leader, Kim Jong-un. Trump wished that China, among Pyongyang's main allies, "firmly deciding on North Korea and ending this senselessness once and for all!" Only last week the US administration had stated that Chinese efforts in resolving North Korea's ambitions had failed.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called for UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea for this latest launch of missiles. The president told his security and external relations officials to look for "United Nations security measures in close collaboration with the allies of the country, including the United States," spokesman Yoon Young-chan said. Moon summoned an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. Yoon said the missile in question was mid-range, but represents a further step towards the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The Chinese ambassador to the UN Liu Jieyi warned that the further escalation of high tensions with North Korea could get out of control. "The consequences would be disastrous," he concluded. Pyongyang claims it wants to work on a nuclear missile capable of hitting the United States. Shea Cotton, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in the United States, suggested Tuesday's launch was deliberately staged to coincide with the anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence. "It's already July 4 in North Korea," he wrote on Twitter. "I have some suspicion that they are letting off some fireworks right now for that."
The United Nations Security Council has adopted its latest resolution with sanctions against North Korea in June. Pyongyang regularly rejects the United Nations stance that it violates its sovereign right to self-defense and spatial exploration.
This year there were another 10 missile launches by North Korea.
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