martes, 6 de septiembre de 2016

North Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles; Japan calls it 'serious threat'






nk fires missiles off east coast hancocks liveshot_00003227
North Korea fires more missiles into the sea 01:19





Story highlights

  •  Kim Jong Un "expressed great satisfaction" over the launch
  • The missile firing comes as China opposes deployment of South Korean missile defense system
(CNN)North Korea fired three ballistic
missiles Monday morning,
 according to South Korea's military.
The missiles were fired
from areas around Hwangju county,
 inNorth Hwanghae province,
toward the Sea of Japan,
 South Korea's military said.
    Officials said the launch was believed to be of midrange
    Rodong missiles, which flew about 1,000 kilometers
     (620 miles)
     "without giving any prior navigational warning."
    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "expressed great satisfaction"
    over the launch and called on his country to bolster its
     nuclear forces,
     according to a report on Tuesday in the state-run KCNA
    news agency.
    It comes just under two weeks after Pyongyang
     test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile.
    That missile entered Japan's air defense
     identification zone,
     the first time that has happened.
    Monday's launch also fired missiles
     into the Japanese defense zone,
     again without warning.

    G20 launch

    In a statement, the United States said it "strongly condemns"
     the multiple launches. The move came at a potentially
     embarrassing
     time for North Korea's only real ally, China, which
    washosting the G20 summit in Hangzhou.
    "Today's reckless launches by North Korea threaten
    civil aviation
    and maritime commerce in the region," State Department spokesman
    John Kirby said on Monday.
    "We will raise our concerns at the UN about the
    threat posed to
    international security by these programs," he continued.
    "We will also do so in other fora — including the u
    pcoming
    East Asia Summit — to bolster international resolve
     to hold the
    DPRK accountable for its provocative actions.
    Our commitment to the defense of our allies in the face
     of these threats remains ironclad."
    Japan's Defense Minister Tomomi Inada
    said the launch was a "serious threat" to the country's security, 
    adding that it was clear North Korea was learning
     from past failures.
    "Looking at the fact that the three missiles have
     landed on almost the same spot at almost the same time, I think their missile technology
    has substantially improved," she said.
    Meanwhile, China's foreign minister spokeswoman
    Hua Chunying called
    for calm. "At the moment, the situation on the (Korean) peninsula
     is quite complex and sensitive," Hua said.
    "We hope all relevant parties can avoid taking actions that
    may escalate tensions, and can make joint 
    efforts to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula."

    Link to THAAD comments?

    According to one analyst, the launches were timed for
    maximum effect.
    "This is Pyongyang's way of reminding everyone of their existence
    at a moment when all the parties are together, in a typically defiant,
    North Korean way," John Delury, assistant professor at
    Yonsei University
    in South Korea, told CNN.
    The launches also came hours after Chinese President
    Xi Jinping told his South Korean counterpart at the G20 
    that Beijing opposesthe deployment of the 
    United States' THAAD missile defense system
    to South Korea.
    "Mishandling the issue is not conducive to
    strategic stability in the region and could intensify disputes,
    " Xi was quoted as telling Park Geun-hye, according to a report from
     China's official Xinhua News Agency.
    What is THAAD?
    What is THAAD? 00:48

    THAAD woes

    The stated purpose of the THAAD system is to defend
     South Korea from missile attack from the North,
     but Beijing views it as an attempt to shift the regional
     power balance in favor of US allies.
    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has previously said
    the deployment of the anti-missile system could jeopardize
     "China's legitimate national security interests."
    "THAAD has a range that could hit weapons in China,"
    said Yvonne Chiu, an expert on military policy and diplomacy at
     Hong Kong University.
    She added that China was understandably concerned
    "about having a US made, US run missile system in its backyard."
    Delury said that while the Chinese "recognize that something
    has to be done about North Korea," they view the 
    THAAD system as
    "killing a chicken with an ax."
    While the latest tests may seem to undermine Beijing's anti-THAAD
     argument, Delury said it "will create more tension between the
    South Koreans and the Chinese," which will benefit Pyongyang.
    South Korea announced the deployment of the missile system in July
    but it is not yet in operation.







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