SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — South Korean defense ministry on Monday (January 9) called North Korea’s threat to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) ‘provocative’ and said Pyongyang will face stronger sanctions if it is to launch it.
North Korea declared on Sunday (January 8) it could test-launch the ICBM at any time from any location set by leader Kim Jong Un, saying a hostile U.S. policy was to blame for its arms development.
Kim said on January 1 that his nuclear-capable country was close to test-launching an ICBM.
“North Korea’s threats and provocations including launch of an ICBM, is an action that damages stability and peace of the international community. If North Korea disregards our warning and launches ICBM, it will face more powerful and thorough sanctions and pressure by the international community,” said the ministry’s spokesman Moon Sang-gyun at a regular news briefing in Seoul.
“It is inappropriate to specifically indicate a certain period, but we’re on close monitoring and observation judging that North Korea is capable of making provocations once there’s a decision made by the North’s chief executive,” said chief of public affairs in Joint Chief of Staff, Roh Jae-cheon at the same news briefing.
U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter said on Sunday (January 8) that North Korea’s nuclear weapons capabilities and ballistic missile defence programs constituted a “serious threat” to the United States and that it was prepared to shoot down a North Korean missile launch or test.
The United States said on Jan. 5 that North Korea had demonstrated a “qualitative” improvement in its nuclear and missile capabilities after an unprecedented level of tests last year.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump responded to Kim’s comments on an ICBM test by declaring in a tweet last week: “It won’t happen!”
Asked for comment on Sunday, the White House referred to January 3 comments by White House press secretary Josh Earnest in which he said the U.S. military believed it could protect against the threat emanating from North Korea.
North Korea has been testing rocket engines and heat-shields for an ICBM while developing the technology to guide a missile after re-entry into the atmosphere following a liftoff, experts have said.
North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The sanctions were tightened last month after Pyongyang conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test on September 9.
