N. Korea fires ballistic missile in first test in two months
The Hindu
U.S., Japan, South Korea raise alarm, China remains passive
North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, its first weapons launch in about two months and a signal it isn’t interested in rejoining denuclearisation talks anytime soon and would rather focus on boosting its weapons arsenal.
The launch came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un vowed to further strengthen his military capability — without disclosing any new policies toward the United States or South Korea — at a high-profile ruling party conference last week.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the ballistic missile launch “highlights the destabilising impact of (North Korea’s) illicit weapons program” but didn’t pose an immediate threat to U.S. territory or its allies. It said in a statement that the U.S. commitment to the defense of its allies, South Korea and Japan, remains “ironclad.”