North Korea fires off new ballistic missile

North Korea fires off new ballistic missile. February. 13, 2017 07:02. ddr@donga.comysh1005@donga.com,. North Korea fired a new ballistic missile assumed to be modified Rodong or Musudan into the East Sea on Sunday, which was the first time in four months since its last missile provocation in October 2016. This was particularly the first one since the inauguration of the Donald Trump administration.

According to South Korean military authorities, one missile was fired from Banghyon air base in Kusong, North Pyongan Province at 7:55 a.m. Fired from transporter erector launcher (TEL), the missile traveled some 500 kilometers before landing into the East Sea.

“Given the flight track, velocity and altitude, the missile is assumed to be a shorter-range Rodong or an intermediate-range Musudan level missile,” said military sources. “Based on the analysis, the missile seems not to be intercontinental ballistic missile or ICBM.”

Presided over by National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin, the South Korean government held a standing committee of the National Security Council to assess the situation and discussing countermeasures. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said that Kim spoke to his U.S. counterpart, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, on the phone and agreed to seek all the possible options to deter Pyongyang.

Condemnation from international community has followed. U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a joint press conference at Florida on Saturday (local time) and condemned Pyongyang’s provocation.

"North Korea's most recent missile launch is absolutely intolerable. North Korea must fully comply with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions," Abe said. "I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100%,” said Trump. Making strong condemnation over Pyongyang’s launch, Japan gathered an emergency meeting of its National Security Council on Sunday morning. "We are working to secure a firm response to these actions by the UN Security Council,” Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said.