N.
Korean ballistic missile test ‘estimated to have failed’ –
Seoul
RT,
28
April, 2017
North
Korea has launched a ballistic missile from an area north of the
country’s capital, Pyongyang, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency
reported, citing the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“North
Korea fired an unidentified missile from a site in the vicinity of
Bukchang in Pyeongannam-do (South Pyeongan Province) early this
morning," the
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement, according to Yonhap.
“It
is estimated to have failed,” the
JCS said. Missile debris allegedly landed in the Sea of Japan, also
known as the East Sea, according to a US official who spoke with CNN.
An
unnamed US official confirmed to NBC News that there was indeed a
missile test, but there was no indication that it was nuclear.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports, citing sources, that initial analysis
shows that the latest test might have failed.
The
missile reportedly exploded in the air just a few seconds after
launch, Yonhap news agency said, adding that the projectile was
likely a newly developed intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).
Meanwhile, US officials are “still
waiting to determine type of the missile,” Reuters
reports.
The
South Korean military are now analyzing the type of missile fired and
flight distance of the projectile traveled.
The
reported launch comes amid rising tensions in the region and a US
military buildup in response to the North Korean “nuclear threat.”
It also comes just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
told the UN Security Council that the military option remains on the
table for the US to curb Pyongyang's nuclear program.
“All
options for responding to future provocations must remain on the
table,” Tillerson
told the 15-member international body. “Diplomatic
and financial leverage or power will be backed up by willingness to
counteract North Korean aggression with military action, if
necessary.”
Indications are that #Northkorea missile test was unsuccessful - US Gov't Source http://on.rt.com/8a8r
@ManilaChan
Tillerson’s
remarks come just a day after US President Donald Trump told Reuters
that there is a “chance” of
a major conflict in the region if diplomacy fails.
“There
is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with
North Korea. Absolutely,” Trump
told Reuters. “We'd
love to solve things diplomatically, but it's very difficult.”
Military solution totally unacceptable, dialogue only viable choice – Russia & China
In
an attempt to deter North Korea from more nuclear and missile tests,
the US has sent a group of American warships led by an aircraft
carrier to the region.
This week, North Korea conducted large-scale,
live-fire exercises on its eastern coast, just as the US and South
Korea were engaged in their annual war games.
As
the US continue to push for peace through increasing its military
power in the region, China and Russia have been urging both sides to
refrain from provocations and belligerent rhetoric, and to find a
diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis.
Stressing
the need to avoid “chaos” on
the Korean peninsula, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for
cool-headed negotiations over North Korea’s missile and nuclear
programs.
“Right
now, the situation on the Korean peninsula is under grave tension and
at a critical point,” Wang
said, ahead of a UN Security Council meeting Friday.
“[The
peaceful settlement] of the nuclear issue [on] the Korean peninsula
through a dialogue and negotiations represent the only right choice
that is practical and viable,” the
minister dded.
A
military solution to the North Korean issue is totally unacceptable
and could lead to a terrible catastrophe, Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Gennady Gatilov said at a meeting of the UN Security
Council.
While
accusing North Korea of ignoring the United Nations Security
Council’s resolutions which ban nuclear weapons development,
Gatilov said that “at the same time, the use of military force is
absolutely unacceptable as it is fraught with disastrous consequences
for the Korean Peninsula and the entire Northeast Asia.”
Pointing
out that “bellicose
rhetoric paired with an unreasonable show of muscle makes everyone in
the world ask themselves if there is going to be a war,” Gatilov
said that “it
is no secret that in the midst of tensions, any thoughtless step may
result in terrible consequences.”
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