North Korea missile test fails, U.S. and
South say, as tensions simmer
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[March 22, 2017]
By Ju-min Park
SEOUL (Reuters) - A North Korean missile
appeared to have exploded on Wednesday just after it was launched, the
U.S. and South Korean militaries said after detecting the latest in a
series of weapons tests by the nuclear-armed state that have alarmed the
region.
The launch attempt was made from near the city of Wonsan, on North
Korea's east coast, the same place from where it launched several
intermediate-range missiles last year, all but one of which failed.
"U.S. Pacific Command detected what we assess was a failed North Korean
missile launch attempt ... in the vicinity of Kalma," Commander Dave
Benham, a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Command, said in a statement,
referring to an air field in Wonsan.
"A missile appears to have exploded within seconds of launch," Benham
said, adding that work was being carried out on a more detailed
assessment.
A South Korean military official told Reuters the missile appeared to
have exploded just after it was launched.
"It may have exploded right after it took off from a launch pad," said
military official, who declined to be identified.
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It was not clear what type of missile it was. The South Korean defense
ministry said it was conducting analysis to determine further details.
The increasing frequency of the missile tests has fueled a growing sense
of urgency over how to respond to the isolated, unpredictable state.
North Korea launched four ballistic missiles from near its west coast on
March 6 and this week conducted a rocket engine test that its leader,
Kim Jong Un, said opened "a new birth" of its rocket industry.
The latest launch came as the U.S. envoy for North Korea policy, Joseph
Yun, met his South Korean counterpart in Seoul to discuss a response to
the North's weapons programs.
Just last week U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Japan,
South Korea and China and how to handle North Korea was a major issue in
his talks.
Speaking in Seoul on Friday, Tillerson said a policy of strategic
patience with North Korea had ended and all options, including a
military one, were on the table if North Korea threatened South Korean
or U.S. forces.
North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests and a series of missile
launches since the beginning of last year in defiance of U.N.
resolutions. It is believed to be working to develop nuclear-tipped
missiles that can reach the United States.
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![](../images/032217pics/news_n29.jpg)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a sub-unit under KPA Unit
1344 in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central
News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang November 9, 2016. REUTERS/KCNA/File
Photo
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BROAD REVIEW
U.S. President Donald Trump rebuked Kim on Sunday, saying the North
Korean leader was "acting very, very badly".
A senior U.S. official in Washington told Reuters on Monday that the
Trump administration was considering sweeping sanctions as part of a
broad review of measures to counter North Korea's nuclear and
missile threat.
The United States is also deploying an advanced missile- defense
system in South Korea. But China objects to the Terminal High
Altitude Area Defense system, saying its powerful radar can
penetrate deep into its territory, undermining its security.
Undaunted by the possibility of even tougher sanctions aimed at
cutting North Korea off from the global financial system, a North
Korean diplomat said his government would pursue an "acceleration"
of its nuclear and missile programs.
This includes developing a "pre-emptive first strike capability" and
an inter-continental ballistic missile, said Choe Myong Nam, deputy
ambassador at the DPRK (North Korean) mission to the United Nations
in Geneva.
Japan's Nikkei index <.N225> and South Korean stocks <.KS11>
extended losses slightly after news of a North Korean launch broke
but trade was steady overall.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali in WASHINGTON, Kaori Kaneko and Chris
Gallagher in TOKYO, Jiwon Choi and Christine Kim in SEOUL; Writing
by Robert Birsel; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
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