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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 5 July 2017

US: North Korea missile test was ICBM, tensions escalate

to North America. Since he entered the White
Trump, in his initial response House, Trump has talked
to the launch on Monday about confronting Pyong-
evening, urged China on yang and pushing China
Twitter to “put a heavy to increase pressure on the
move on North Korea and North, but neither strategy
end this nonsense once has produced fast results.
and for all!” But he also said The White House has been
it was “hard to believe” threatening to move for-
that South Korea and Ja- ward on its own, though
pan, the two U.S. treaty al- administration officials
lies most at risk from North have not settled on next
Korea, would “put up with steps. Patrick Cronin, an
this much longer.” Asia expert with the Center
The U.S. mission to the Unit- for a New American Secu-
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson testifies on Capitol Hill in ed Nations said that U.S. rity, said Trump was prob-
Washington. The United States asserted Tuesday that North Ambassador Nikki Haley ably “coming to the point
Korea’s latest missile launch was indeed an intercontinental had requested that the Se- of no return” with North
ballistic missile. Tillerson called it a “new escalation of the curity Council meet urgent- Korea, adding that the up-
threat” to the U.S.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ly along with the U.N. en- shot could be diplomatic
voys from Japan and South overtures or military action.
By CATHERINE LUCEY regime.” Korea. The 3 p.m. meeting “We either go to the diplo-
JOSH LEDERMAN He said the U.S. “will never Wednesday was to be held matic table with Kim Jong
Associated Press accept a nuclear-armed “in the open chamber,” Un or we do take some
WASHINGTON (AP) — The North Korea.” rather than behind closed course of action,” Cronin
United States asserted Tillerson’s statement, issued doors. said. q
Tuesday that North Korea’s Tuesday evening as most
latest missile launch was Americans were celebrat-
indeed an intercontinen- ing the Fourth of July holi-
tal ballistic missile, as the day, notably did not men-
North had boasted and tion China, whose help the
the U.S. and South Korea Trump administration has
had feared. Secretary of been aggressively seeking
State Rex Tillerson called it to press Pyongyang over its
a “new escalation of the nuclear weapons program.
threat” to the U.S. In recent days, as the North
In a show of force directly has continued to test mis-
responding to North Ko- siles in defiance of global
rea’s provocation, U.S. and pressure, President Donald
South Korean soldiers fired Trump has started voicing
“deep strike” precision mis- doubt that Beijing is up to
siles into South Korean ter- the task. His administra-
ritorial waters on Tuesday, tion has taken a number of
U.S. military officials in Seoul steps against China’s inter-
said. The missile firings dem- ests that have suggested its
onstrated U.S.-South Kore- patience has run short.
an solidarity, the U.S. Eighth Tillerson’s comments were
Army said in a statement. the first public confirmation
At the request of the U.S., by the United States that
Japan and South Korea, the missile was indeed an
the United Nations Secu- ICBM, constituting a major
rity Council was to hold technological advance-
an emergency session on ment for the North and its
Wednesday afternoon. Til- most successful missile test
lerson said that was part of yet. The prime danger from
a U.S. response that would the U.S. viewpoint is the
include “stronger measures prospect of North Korea
to hold the DPRK account- pairing a nuclear warhead
able,” using an acronym with an ICBM. The latest
for the isolated nation’s US intelligence assessment
formal name, the Demo- is that the North probably
cratic People’s Republic does not yet have that ca-
of Korea. “Global action is pability — putting a small-
required to stop a global enough nuclear warhead
threat,” Tillerson said. “Any atop an ICBM.
country that hosts North Initial U.S. military assess-
Korean guest workers, pro- ments had been that it was
vides any economic or an intermediate-range mis-
military benefits, or fails to sile. NORAD, or the North
fully implement UN Security American Aerospace De-
Council resolutions is aiding fense Command, said the
and abetting a dangerous missile did not pose a threat