North Korea carries out missile test ahead of Xi-Trump summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched the ground jet test of a Korean-style high-thrust engine newly developed by the Academy of the National Defence Science in this undated picture provided by KCNA in Pyongyang on March 19, 2017. Source: KCNA/via Reuters/File Photo

NORTH Korea test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, ahead of a summit between US and Chinese leaders who are set to discuss Pyongyang’s arms programme.

The missile flew about 60 km (40 miles) from its launch site at Sinpo, a port city on the North’s east coast, the South Korea’s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Sinpo is home to a North Korean submarine base.

The launch comes just a day before the start of a summit between US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping, where talks about adding pressure on the North to drop its arms development will take centre stage.

“The launch took place possibly in consideration of the US -China summit, while at the same time it was to check its missile



capability,” a South Korean official told Reuters about the military’s initial assessment of the launch.

The missile was fired at a high angle and reached an altitude of 189 km (117 miles), the official added.

Any launch of objects using ballistic missile technology is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The North has defied the ban, saying it infringes its sovereign rights to self defence and the pursuit of space exploration.

The launch drew swift condemnation from Japan, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying further provocative action was possible.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga described the launch as “extremely problematic” and said Tokyo had lodged a strong protest.

South Korea’s foreign ministry also condemned the launch as a blunt challenge to a series of UN Security Council resolutions targeting North Korea’s nuclear and missile programme. Seoul called a National Security Council meeting and vowed to respond strongly in case of further provocations.