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Security Council to discuss N Korea test

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TESTING TRUMP:  Japan said further sanctions against North Korea could be discussed at the United Nations -


SEOUL: The UN Security Council is to hold an urgent meeting later Monday after North Korea said on Monday it had successfully test-fired a new type of medium- to long-range ballistic missile the previous day, claiming advances in a weapons programme it is pursuing in violation of UN resolutions.


North Korea fired the missile on a high arc into the sea early on Sunday, the first probe of US President Donald Trump’s vow to get tough on an isolated regime that tested nuclear devices and ballistic missiles last year at an unprecedented rate. The North’s state-run KCNA news agency said leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test of the Pukguksong-2, a new type of strategic weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.


Japan said further sanctions against North Korea could be discussed at the United Nations, and called on China to take a “constructive” role in responding. China is North Korea’s main ally and trading partner but is irritated by its repeated aggressive actions, although it rejects suggestions from the United States and others that it could be doing more to rein in its neighbour.


“We have asked China via various levels to take constructive actions as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and we will continue to work on it,” said Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. China said it opposed North Korean missile tests that run contrary to UN resolutions.“All sides should exercise restraint and jointly maintain regional peace and security,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular briefing, adding that China would participate in talks at the United Nations on the launch with a “responsible and constructive attitude”.Russia’s foreign ministry expressed concern over the launch, RIA news agency quoted the ministry as saying.


North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests, including two last year, although its claims to be able to miniaturise a nuclear weapon to be mounted on a missile have never been verified independently. Leader Kim said in his New Year speech the North was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and state media have said such a launch could come at any time.


A fully developed ICBM could threaten the continental United States, which is about 9,000 km (5,500 miles) from North Korea.


The KCNA news agency said the missile fired on Sunday was launched at a high angle in consideration of the safety of neighbouring countries.The missile was propelled by a solid fuel engine and was an upgraded, extended-range version of its submarine-launched ballistic missile that was tested successfully last August, according to KCNA.


The missile’s name - Pukguksong-2 - translates as north star or Polaris, the same name of the first US submarine-launched missile.


South Korea’s military said the missile had been launched using a “cold-eject” system, whereby it is initially lifted by compressed gas before flying under the power of its rocket, a system used for submarine-launched missiles.


North Korea’s pursuit of large solid-fuelled missiles was “a very concerning development”, said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.


“Large solid-fuel motors are difficult to make work correctly so this is indeed a significant advance by North Korea,” McDowell said.


In addition to launching more quickly, solid-fuel engines also boost the power and range of ballistic rockets.“Solid-motor engines mean that the fuel is pre-stored and the missile can be launched quickly. For example, rolled out of a cave, tunnel, or bridge,” said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the US-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California. — Agencies


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