The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Staff Reports
Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 03:52 PM
North Korea Launches New Missiles Over Northern Japan A Week After Massive Nuclear Test
The missile was launched eastward early Friday from Sunan, the site of Pyongyang's international airport. It flew over northern Japan before landing in the Pacific Ocean, according to U.S. Pacific Command.
President Donald Trump, who last month vowed "fire and fury" if North Korea ramped up its nuclear threats, didn't immediately comment. However, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called the missile a reckless act by the North Koreans, adding that the missile "was fired over Japan and put millions of Japanese in duck and cover." Mattis said President Trump has been fully briefed on the missile.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the latest round of sanctions from the United Nations Security Council "represent the floor, not the ceiling" of actions that need to be taken against North Korea.
"North Korea's provocative missile launch represents the second time the people of Japan, a treaty ally of the United States, have been directly threatened in recent weeks," Tillerson said. "These continued provocations only deepen North Korea's diplomatic and economic isolation. United Nations Security Council resolutions, including the most recent unanimous sanctions resolution, represent the floor, not the ceiling, of the actions we should take. We call on all nations to take new measures against the Kim regime."
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday afternoon, at the request of the U.S. and Japan.
In response to the test, South Korea launched a ballistic missile of its own to show it can reach North Korea's launch site.
Source: Fox News