North Korea conducts missile test

North Pyongan, Sunday

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea in an apparent test of new US President Donald Trump, who responded by pledging “100 per cent” support for Washington’s key regional ally Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose country would be in range of any hostile North Korean launch, called the test “absolutely intolerable” during an impromptu press conference with Trump in Florida.

The missile was launched around 7:55 am (2255 GMT Saturday) from Banghyon air base in the western province of North Pyongan, and flew east towards the Sea of Japan (East Sea), the South’s defence ministry said.

It flew about 500km before falling into the sea, a ministry spokesman said.

“Today’s missile launch is aimed at drawing global attention to the North by boasting its nuclear and missile capabilities”, the ministry said in a statement.

“It is also believed that it was an armed provocation to test the response from the new US administration under President Trump,” it added.

The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said later the missile was “highly likely” to have been a modified intermediate-range Musudan missile.

It was the first such test since last October.

Trump, speaking alongside Abe, said Washington was committed to his country’s security.

Japan’s top government spokesman Yoshihide Suge told reporters in Tokyo the test was “clearly a provocation to Japan and the region”.

North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology.

But six sets of UN sanctions since Pyongyang’s first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt its drive for what it insists are defensive weapons.

— AFP

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