North Korea carries out another ballistic missile test

Photodisc/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — North Korea launched an intermediate range ballistic missile from a far western provinces over 500 miles into the Sea of Japan early Tuesday local time, according to U.S. Pacific Command and the South Korean military.

“U.S. Pacific Command detected and tracked what we assess was a North Korean missile launch at 2:40 p.m. Hawaii time July 03. The single launch of a land-based, intermediate range ballistic missile occurred near the Panghyon Airfield,” said a statement issued by U.S. Pacific Command. The airfield is located in North Pyongan Province, which is located in the western part of North Korea.

The missile was tracked for 37 minutes and landed in the Sea of Japan, the statement said. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff later assessed that the missile had traveled more than 577 miles (930 kilometers) into the Sea of Japan, according to the Yonhap News Agency.

A U.S. official said the type of missile launched by North Korea was still being determined, though it was described as a land-based intermediate ballistic missile.

“We are working with our interagency partners on a more detailed assessment,” said the U.S. Pacific Command statement. “We continue to monitor North Korea’s actions closely.”

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) assessed that the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America.

The test is North Korea’s 10th ballistic missile test this year.

President Donald Trump was notified of the launch, according to a White House official, and reacted Monday night on Twitter.

“North Korea has just launched another missile. Does this guy have anything better to do with his life? Hard to believe that South Korea and Japan will put up with this much longer. Perhaps China will put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!” Trump commented in two tweets.

A United States official told ABC News that the U.S. had been watching North Korea’s east coast and anticipating some sort of launch in the coming days. However, the launch originated in a province in far western North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in had convened an emergency meeting of South Korea’s National Security Council in the wake of the launch, according to the Yonhap News Agency.

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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