North Korea defied resolutions of the United Nations to launch on Friday a ballistic medium-range missile into the sea, officials in Seoul and Washington, days after leader Kim Jong Un ordered weapons tests linked to its goal of developing a missile said long-range nuclear capable of reaching the United States. AP
The missile flew on Friday, 800 kilometers (500 miles) before falling to the East Coast North Korea, said the head of South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Military officials Koreans said what kind of missile was fired is not known, but a South Korean defense official, who requested anonymity because of department rules, said it was the first medium-range missile launched by North Korea since April 2014, when fired two.
A senior US defense official said the Pentagon can confirm the missile launch, adding that apparently tried one type Rodong fired from a mobile launcher Earth. The official said that the test violated several resolutions of the Security Council of the UN that prohibit North Korea from engaging in any ballistic and nuclear activity.
Friday's launch came amid strong international tensions over weapons programs of North Korea after its nuclear test and launching long-range rocket made earlier this year.
In recent weeks, Pyongyang threatened preemptive nuclear attacks on Washington and Seoul, and performed tests short-range missiles and artillery at sea in response to harsh UN sanctions imposed by the nuclear test and launching of previous rocket. North Korea says it needs nuclear weapons to face what qualifies as US military threats.
On Tuesday, North Korean state media said Kim had ordered that soon proved a nuclear warhead and ballistic missiles capable of delivering them. Kim issued the order while overseeing a successful simulated test of a reentry vehicle that aims to return to the atmosphere safely from space a nuclear warhead to hit a specific target, according to the Central Agency Korean News, belonging to government North Korean.
This led to South Korean analysts suspect that North Korea probably soon shoot a missile to test re-entry technology. Some analysts also predicted that the North Korean government could fire a missile with an empty warhead-which contains firing devices, but no plutonium or uranium pare see if those parts of the head can survive high pressure and high temperature to re-enter into the atmosphere, and if they could detonate at the right time.