Statement out this morning from North Korea's official news agency
- North Korea has conducted another successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
- proved its ability to strike America's mainland
- was a stern warning to the US that it would not be safe from destruction if it tries to attack
- ICBM flew for just over 47 minutes reaching an altitude of 3724km
Last evening North Korea conducted the second ICBM test in less than a month but it seems to have barely made the headlines. Surely not a sign of complacency/apathy? Scary times in either case.
Trump had this to say:
"By threatening the world, these weapons and tests further isolate North Korea, weaken its economy, and deprive its people.The United States will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American homeland and protect our allies in the region."
China responded that it opposed North Korea's "launch activities that run counter to Security Council resolutions and the common wishes of the international community."
"At the same time, China hopes all parties act with caution, to prevent tensions from continuing to escalate, to jointly protect regional peace and stability."
The missile was reported to have been visible from Japan and PM Abe said the threat to his country's security was "grave and real"
Earlier today the US and South Korea conducted a live-fire ballistic missile exercise in a display of firepower in response to the missile launch.
The BBC says:
While full analysis has not been finalised yet, several points stand out.
First, the data available indicates that the missile may have a range of approximately 10,400km. Since this missile is road-mobile, a launch from the north-eastern city of Rason would put New York City in range of the ICBM.
Second, the US reported that North Korea launched the ICBM from Mupyong-ni, North Korea. This location was different from many press accounts leading up to the launch which predicted a Kusong launch. The missile launched at 23:11 local time, an unusual time for North Korea's tests as well. It is possible that North Korea is already experimenting with deploying the missile under the cover of night or setting up multiple launch sites to confuse observers.
More from them here
I'm out of here so I'll wish you a great week-end and thank you all for your brilliant support.
See you back here Monday.
ICBM Hwasong-14
