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North Korean missile flies over Japan
A rare glimpse inside the candy-colored 'socialist fairyland'
Story highlights
- First missile launch since September 3 nuclear test
- UN Security Council to meet Friday
- South Korea test fired missile capable of striking near Pyongyang in response
(CNN)North
Korea has fired a ballistic missile over northern Japan for the second
time in less than a month, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said
Friday.
The
unidentified ballistic missile was launched from the district of Sunan
in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, home to the country's main
airport, the South Korean military said.
The
missile flew about 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) and reached an
altitude of 770 kilometers (480) miles. It landed in the Pacific Ocean,
South Korea said.
The
US Pacific Command said its initial assessment indicated that North
Korea had fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile. There were
conflicting reports from Japan on the type of missile fired, though the
government stressed that analysis was ongoing.
In
response to North Korea's launch, South Korea carried out a "live fire
drill" that included a missile launch which the South Korean Joint
Chiefs of Staff said was capable of striking the Sunan airport launch
site near Pyongyang used for today's launch.
The
South Korean missile, which was launched from the country's east coast,
was "a show of force in response to North Korea's latest provocation," a
South Korean official told CNN.
A
government warning, known as the J-Alert, said that "a missile" had
passed over Hokkaido, northern Japan, before landing in the Pacific, NHK
reported. "The government is advising people to stay away from anything
that could be missile debris," the broadcaster said.
Japan's Coast Guard said no damage has been reported by the fallen object.
Speaking
to reporters Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the launch
was "totally unacceptable" and went against "the international
community's strong, united will for a peaceful solution."
The
international community needs to unite and send clear message after
North Korea's dangerous provocation," he said. "We must let North Korea
understand there is no bright future for North Korea if it continues in
this way."
He said the Japanese government tracked the launch of the missile and "took all possible measures."
South
Korean President Moon Jae-in held a National Security meeting following
the launch, according to an official at his office.
North Korea's last missile test, on August 29, was also fired from near the Pyongyang airport and overflew northern Japan.
US
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the launch. When asked by a
pool reporter about the launch Thursday evening Washington time at a
dinner reception, Trump did not comment.
In
a statement, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the missile test
was the second time the people of Japan "have been directly threatened
in recent weeks."
"These continued provocations only deepen North Korea's diplomatic and economic isolation," Tillerson said.
"United
Nations Security Council resolutions, including the most recent
unanimous sanctions resolution, represent the floor, not the ceiling, of
the actions we should take. We call on all nations to take new measures
against the Kim regime."
He singled out Chinese oil supplies and Russia's use of North Korean migrant workers as two areas in which the two countries could take "direct action" against North Korea.
Japan
and the US have requested the UN Security Council hold "urgent
consultations" at 3 p.m. ET Friday, according to the Ethiopian Mission
to the UN. Ethiopian Ambassador Tekeda Alemu is the current UN Security
Council president.
First launch since nuclear test
The launch came just hours after the rogue nation responded to the United Nations Security Council's unanimous approval of additional sanctions by threatening to "sink" Japan and reduce the US mainland into "ash and darkness."
Those sanctions were prompted by North Korea's sixth nuclear test that occurred on September 3, which Pyongyang said was a successful test of a hydrogen bomb.
That explosion created a magnitude-6.3 tremor, making it the most powerful weapon Pyongyang has ever tested.
The
nuclear test prompted discussions inside South Korea about the the
redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons in the country, an idea that
the majority of the country's citizens approve of, according to recent
polls.
But on Thursday, South
Korean President Moon Jae-in dismissed the possibility, warning it could
"lead to a nuclear arms race in northeast Asia."
"We
need to develop our military capabilities in the face of North Korea's
nuclear advancement," he told CNN in his first televised interview since
the nuclear test. "I do not agree that South Korea needs to develop our
own nuclear weapons or relocate tactical nuclear weapons in the face of
North Korea's nuclear threat. To respond to North Korea by having our
own nuclear weapons will not maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula and
could lead to a nuclear arms race in northeast Asia."
South
Korea has been conducting its own military drills since the September 3
nuclear test. As the missile was launched Friday, the South Korean
military was carrying out its own live-fire drill that involved
launching a ballistic missile.
A rapid pace
2017 has been a year of rapid progress for North Korea's missile program.
Less
than six years into his reign, Kim Jong Un has tested more missiles
than his father and grandfather combined. And this year has been no
exception.
Prior
to its most recent launch, the country has fired 21 missiles during 14
tests since February, further perfecting its technology with each
launch.
There's also a political aspect to the tests, analysts say.
"This
new missile test ... is both a reaction to the stringent UN sanctions
of Monday evening and a wake-up call about the limits of sanctions and
military threats as a way to change North Korea's behavior," said George
A Lopez, a former member of the UN Security Council panel of experts
for sanctions on North Korea.
He
said Trump should use his speech to the UN General Assembly next week to
"demonstrate US leadership in loyalty to all allies in the region and
state our commitment to developing new and vibrant security guarantees
for all states, including (North Korea), that are not based on the
threat or use of nuclear weapons."
Peaceful pressure
Moon's
strategy toward North Korea has drawn the wrath of US President Donald
Trump, who accused the South Koreans of "appeasement" of their northern
neighbors following the nuclear test.
Why North Korea wants nukes and missiles
North
Korea has long maintained it wants nuclear weapons and long-range
missiles to deter the United States from attempting to overthrow the
regime of Kim Jong Un.
Pyongyang looks at states such as Iraq -- where Saddam Hussein was overthrown by the United States, and Libya -- its late leader, Moammar Gadhafi, gave up his nuclear ambitions for sanctions relief and aid, only to be toppled and killed after the United States intervened in his country's civil unrest -- and believes that only being able to threaten the US mainland with a retaliatory nuclear strike can stop American military intervention.
Many experts say they believe North Korea would not use the weapons first. Kim values his regime's survival above all else and knows the use of a nuclear weapon would start a war he could not win, analysts say.
Pyongyang looks at states such as Iraq -- where Saddam Hussein was overthrown by the United States, and Libya -- its late leader, Moammar Gadhafi, gave up his nuclear ambitions for sanctions relief and aid, only to be toppled and killed after the United States intervened in his country's civil unrest -- and believes that only being able to threaten the US mainland with a retaliatory nuclear strike can stop American military intervention.
Many experts say they believe North Korea would not use the weapons first. Kim values his regime's survival above all else and knows the use of a nuclear weapon would start a war he could not win, analysts say.
The
White House has been pursuing a strategy of what it calls "peaceful
pressure" in dealing with North Korea -- trying to build a global
coalition to squeeze North Korea's revenue and isolate it diplomatically
so it will eventually put its missiles on the negotiating table.
China
has been key to that strategy, as Beijing accounts for nearly 90% of
all of North Korea's imports, according to recent data from the United
Nations.
Hours before the launch,
Trump touted his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and
their collaboration in addressing North Korea's rapidly escalating
missile and nuclear programs.
"We
have a very good relationship with China and with the President of
China. We are working on different things," Trump said. "I can't tell
you, obviously, what I'm working on. But believe me, the people of this
country will be very, very safe."
"I think that a lot of effort is being put into this," he added.
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