Pyongyang unsuccessfully test-fires a ballistic missile in defiance of world pressure, invites condemnation from Japan, South Korea and Philippines
A French navy ship arrives at the Sasebo naval base in Japan for an international drill as tensions mounted over North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch. Pics/AFP/AP
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Seoul: North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Saturday in apparent defiance of a US push for tougher international sanctions to curb the Asian country's nuclear threat.
"North Korea fired an unidentified missile from a site in the vicinity of Bukchang in Pyeongannam-do early this morning," the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, adding that the missile "is estimated to have failed." A US defence official confirmed North Korea had fired a missile.
The launch comes with tensions high on the Korean peninsula, with US President Donald Trump warning of the risk of a "major conflict." It came just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed the UN Security Council for the first time, called for a global campaign of pressure on Pyongyang - with China playing a major role - to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
"Failing to act now on the most pressing security issue in the world may bring catastrophic consequences," he warned. He repeated Washington's threat that US military options were "on the table."
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