The wreckage of North Korea's long-range rocket fired in February.[Yonhap News Photo]
North Korea faces tougher international punishment for provocative acts despite its humiliating failure in a series of medium-range ballistic missile tests banned by United Nations resolutions.
The United States requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after condemning North Korea's failed missile launches. "These types of actions by the DPRK (North Korea) are extremely troubling and we would yet again encourage the DPRK to cease any further provocative actions," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
North Korea launched a suspected medium-range Musudan ballistic missile, loaded onto a mobile launcher on April 15 marking the birthday of its founder and the grandfather of leader Kim Jong-un but exploded in midair. The test was made at a base near the northeastern port city of Wonsan.
A US surveillance satellite detected the second test at 6:40 am Thursday that also failed because the missile disappeared just several seconds after its launch, South Korean military officials said, adding it appeared to have crashed into a coastal area. Pyongyang carried out a third test nearly 12 hours later but the missile exploded in midair.
South Korea's defense ministry has accused North Korea of trying to develop technology related to mobile launch systems for ballistic missiles propelled by solid fuel.
The Musudan with an estimated range of more than 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) could reach as far as Guam. It was first revealed to the international community in a military parade in 2010. There has been no indication that the missile system was operational.
The exercise came amid growing concern about North Korea's mobile launch system. In April 2013, US intelligence detected North Korean troops setting up Musudan erector platforms at various locations on multiple occasions, but no launches took place.
North Korea has pushed for the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a miniaturized nuclear warhead. Mobile long-range systems are of particular concern if North Korea succeeds in miniaturizing an atomic bomb.
Last week Pyongyang claimed to have conducted a successful submarine-launched ballistic missile test from a strategic submarine. Military officials in Seoul said the SLBM flew just about 30 kilometers, indicating the test probably had failed.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
