North Korea has launched a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, sending a message that it is unafraid and unabashed in its nuclear ambitions as the world’s two most powerful leaders prepare to meet tomorrow.
The KN-15 missile was fired yesterday from the port city of Sinpo on the country’s east, and reached about 60km.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop condemned the launch.
“North Korea is again acting in total disregard of regional and global security,” she said.
“North Korea’s long-term interest would be best served by its ceasing its nuclear and missiles programs and engaging positively with the international community.
“Australia continues to work closely with its friends and partners in the region to address the threats posed by North Korea.”
But such attention-grabbing moves have been a feature of North Korea’s Kim dynasty since its earliest days, and are continuing under the third dictator in the family, Kim Jong-un.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said yesterday’s missile was not launched from a submarine, as happened last August, nor was it an intercontinental missile — which Kim has boasted he will soon be able to deploy, putting the US west coast or the east coast of Australia within range.
A day ahead of the Florida meeting between US President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson responded by confirming: “North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile.”
“The US has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment,” he added.
His remarks have been interpreted as a threat to take action, as has Mr Trump’s remark last weekend: “If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will.”
But both comments steer clear of naming a “red line” as US president Barack Obama did in 2012 when he said about Syria: “A red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilised.”
Mr Tillerson’s comment might suggest a readiness to take military action against North Korea — which might help push China towards agreeing, or not opposing, tougher measures — without risking the humiliation suffered by Mr Obama when he failed to tackle the Syrian government after it used chemical weapons.
A North Korean attempt to launch a ballistic missile a fortnight ago — also from its east coast — failed.
This followed a more ambitious exercise earlier last month when it fired four missiles, three of which came down within the waters of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The successful launch yesterday — albeit with a shorter range — may be seen in part as an attempt to recover prestige after the previous attempt failed, as well as sending a signal to Mr Trump and Mr Xi that North Korea is happy to be the focus of the historic Florida summit.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the launch was a “grave provocation” that “clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions”.
“It is possible that (the North) will take further provocative actions,” he said.
April 25 marks the 85th anniversary of the founding of North Korea’s military — an occasion celebrated in the past with large parades and speeches by the dictator.
South Korean authorities fear this anniversary will involve a further missile launch.
Although the official Xinhua news agency published a brief story on the yesterday’s launch, China’s other important mass media continued to downplay North Korea as an issue.
North Korea remains China’s only ally. Mao Zedong — venerated by Mr Xi — sent a Chinese army to protect the country, losing his eldest son in the war. The two countries share a 1420km border.
It remains unclear, on the eve of the Trump-Xi summit, how the US wishes China to co-operate over North Korea, or how it plans to persuade it to do so.
