North Korea's missile testing 'serious threat' to USA - defense secretary
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Jan 10, 2017
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on January that his country was close to test-launching an ICBM.
An unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency, using the acronym for the country's name. They are ready to test it from any location that leader Kim Jong Un says and blame it on U.S policy for the arms development.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has issued another warning to the United States promising to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles whenever and wherever he sees fit, according to a new report.
Thae Yong-ho, who defected to Seoul last summer, said Sunday he would eventually like to meet with USA policymakers and inform the American people about the "reality" of North Korea, Yonhap reported. Trump's tweet surely didn't help matters from any perspective, and North Korea will likely churn ahead with more testing.
South Korean defence ministry spokesperson Moon Sang-gyun on Monday, (9 January) said that the statement by the North was provocative.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter promised to shoot down any missiles that threaten the U.S. or its allies, although he stressed that would not include missiles test-fired into the sea.
The United Nations Security Council adopted two new resolutions to tighten sanctions on the country in response to its nuclear and missile programs.
Beyond the rhetoric, however, the KCNA report suggested Pyongyang is hoping Donald Trump will take a new approach toward relations.
The official news agency said a change of guard at the White House will not change the United States policy towards North Korea and that "sanctions aimed at pressurizing north Korea would as ever continue no matter what administration may establish in the U.S".
In September, Pyongyang stated that it had conducted its fifth nuclear test, announcing it is now capable of mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic rockets.
In a tweet, the President-elect has said the possibility of the North developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching the USA "won't happen!"
South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said there were no signs of any launch preparations.
Blinken added that Washington and its allies would continue "comprehensive, sustained pressure and sanctions" against the North.
