| CNN | - |
Seoul
(CNN) North Korea launched a ballistic missile from the northwestern
part of the country early Sunday, the South Korean Joints Chief of Staff
said.
South Korean military: North Korea launches ballistic missile
Story highlights
- US President Donald Trump gets briefing from national security adviser, source says
- South Korea says North Korean ballistic missile flew 700 kilometers
Seoul (CNN)North
Korea launched a ballistic missile from the northwestern part of the
country early Sunday, the South Korean Joints Chief of Staff said.
This
is the first provocative move from North Korea since South Korean
President Moon Jae-in took office. Moon has advocated dialogue with
North Korea to denuclearize.
South Korea called a meeting of its national security council, the President's office said.
"Our
military is closely monitoring for provocative movements by North Korea
and is maintaining all readiness postures," a statement from the
military said.
The missile,
launched near the city of Kusong, flew 700 kilometers (435 miles), the
South Korean military said. A US defense official confirmed that it flew
that far, but said the US is still assessing what type of missile it
was.
"At
this point, we see nothing consistent with an (intercontinental
ballistic missile) launch," a second defense official told CNN.
The
missile launch could also be seen as an insult to Beijing. China
remains one of North Korea's only allies and is responsible for much of
the heavily-sanctioned nation's economy.
On
Saturday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping launched a major trade and
infrastructure project with multiple world leaders in Beijing. A North
Korean delegation attended the conference.
Condemnation from Japan
The missile landed in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to a statement from the Japanese government.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned the launch in a quick doorstep interview with reporters.
"Despite
strong warning from the international community, North Korea launched a
ballistic missile again," Abe said. "This is totally unacceptable and
we strongly protest it. North Korea's missile launch is a serious threat
to Japan and clearly violate against the UN resolution."
Chief
Cabinet Secretary Yasuhide Suga said the government didn't initiate a
"J alert," a nation-wide alert system for missile launches. He added
that the missile didn't come down in Japan's exclusive economic zone,
waters within 322 kilometers (200 miles) of the coast for which it has
jurisdiction over resources.
Prior launches
The projectile launch comes two weeks after a ballistic missile test that South Korean and US officials said failed.
That
missile, launched April 29, blew up over land in North Korean
territory, according to a spokesman for the US Pacific Command.
The
firinNorth Korea has previously attempted at least nine missile
launches on six occasions since US President Donald Trump was
inaugurated in January. Some of those missiles reached the Sea of Japan,
also known as the East Sea. Sunday's launch, however, was near the west
coast.
Though tensions between
the United States and North Korea have been higher than usual over the
past few months, a senior North Korean diplomat told South Korea's
Yonhap news agency on Saturday that Pyongyang is open to talks with Washington "under the right conditions."
Earlier this month Trump said he would be willing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "under the right circumstances."
No sitting US president has ever met with the leader of North Korea while in power, and the idea is extremely controversial.
Kim's
regime has sought to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile
programs. The Trump administration has made a show of force in the
region to deter those programs' development.
National
security adviser H.R. McMaster briefed the President by phone on
Saturday about the missile launch, a senior White House official said.
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