North Korea Tests Another ICBM, Claims All Of US In Strike Range
North Korea claimed to have conducted another intercontinental ballistic missile launch (ICBM) Friday, with the country’s leader Kim Jong Un personally supervising the launch at midnight.
The North Korean leader termed the missile test a “stern warning” for the U.S., saying the U.S. would face destruction if it tried to attack it, North Korea’s KCNA news agency reported.
"The test-fire reconfirmed the reliability of the ICBM system, demonstrated the capability of making a surprise launch of the ICBM in any region and place any time, and clearly proved that the whole U.S. mainland is in the firing range of the DPRK missiles," KCNA quoted Jong Un as saying.
The new missile launch comes just a month after Pyongyang conducted its first ICBM test, Reuters reported.
In response to the launch, the U.S. and South Korean militaries carried out a joint ballistic missile exercise Saturday morning, reports said.
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The US Army said they conducted a live-fire exercise using surface-to-surface missiles with the Souoth Korean military.
In a statement, the Army said the exercise involved Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and South Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump condemned Pyongyang’s actions, terming it “reckless and dangerous.”
“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,” Trump said in a statement.
While the president said the U.S. would take all necessary steps to ensure security for America and its allies, the adminsitration is yet to come up with a concrete plan to tackle North Korea.
The joint military exercise conducted by the U.S. and South Korea after the first ICBM missile launch doesn't seem to have deterred Pyongyang in conducting another launch.
South Korea President Moon Jae-in has called for talks with the U.S. on deploying more anti-missile defense units in the region, and Seoul is speeding up the deployment of four additional U.S. THAAD anti misile defense system, reports said. South Korea had earlier deployed two such units but the rest were delayed to environmental concerns.
The U.S. has also used sanctions as a tool to contain North Korea, but it hasn't had much effect so far.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has put out a notice saying the companies helping North Korea economically would have to pay a heavy penalty. The notice is mostly aimed at China, which accounts for 90 percent of North Korea’s trade, CNN reported.
READ: North Korea Calls Seoul's Proposal To Improve Ties 'Nonsense'
The U.S. is also moving to increase international pressure on North Koream and has asked United Nations members to cut down diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.
Dialogue with North Korea is another option that the U.S. is mulling, but the talks that have takenplace in the last 20 years and included countries like Japan, Russia and China were not fruitful. While North Korea earlier promised to drop its nuclear program, it did not.
Trump has said that he would like to meet Jong Un to reduce tensions between the two countries, but that seems unlikely as no U.S. president has ever met a North Korean leader in power. The president has also said he is ready to use force to deal with Pyongyang, but that doesn't seem to be an option, given Pyongyang belligerence is backed by nuclear bombs.
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