N. Korean rocket test vigorously protested

SEOUL, South Korea -- Condemnation abounded in the aftermath of North Korea's Monday-morning ballistic missile test, conducted just days after world leaders urged Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear weapons program.

The missile, which experts said appeared to be a Scud variant, was fired at 5:39 a.m. from Wonsan off North Korea's east coast and flew 280 miles toward Japan, according to South Korean military officials. It may have reached waters in Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

The provocation -- the ninth this year -- occurred two days after the Group of Seven nations pledged to "strengthen measures" aimed at prompting North Korea to cease nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

World leaders are grappling with how to halt provocations by the isolated nation, with South Korea's President Moon Jae-in seeking engagement while U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe take a harder line.

Japan said the missile landed about 186 miles from the Oki islands off the nation's west coast.

North Korea's state-controlled media had no immediate comment on Monday's test but released a statement, without mentioning the launch, that accused Seoul and Washington of "aggravating the situation" on the Korean Peninsula by conducting joint military drills and other "reckless acts."

On Sunday, North Korea also said Kim had watched a separate, successful test of a new type of anti-aircraft guided weapon system. The report didn't say when the test happened.

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The official Korean Central News Agency cited Kim as ordering officials to mass-produce and deploy the system all over the country so as to "completely spoil the enemy's wild dream to command the air."

Kim may have deliberately fired the missile toward waters that are claimed by both Japan and South Korea to foment discord between the nations and undermine cooperation with the U.S., said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Calif.

"It's Moon's move now, but I expect he will be angrier about Japan claiming the [exclusive economic zone] than North Korea launching the missile," Lewis said. "I don't think North Korea has put a missile into the disputed area before, so I doubt this is a coincidence. It is intended to undermine trilateral security cooperation among the U.S., Japan and South Korea."

Trump: 'China is trying'

South Korea strongly condemns the launch and will "respond firmly," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It's the third test since Moon came to office earlier this month promising a two-track approach of sanctions and dialogue with Kim's government to bring stability to the peninsula.

"To make these frequent provocations since the new administration took office constitutes a direct refusal of our request for denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, and goes against the united will of the international community, as shown in the G-7 declaration two days ago," the ministry said.

Beijing also expressed its opposition, encouraging those involved to exercise calm and restraint. Urging North Korea to cease "any more action that violates the UN Security Council's resolutions," China's Foreign Ministry said in an emailed statement that all sides should "ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula as soon as possible and bring the Peninsula issue back onto the right track of peaceful dialog."

Trump, who has sought more help from China to rein in its neighbor and ally, said Monday on Twitter that "North Korea has shown great disrespect for their neighbor, China, by shooting off yet another ballistic missile ... but China is trying hard!"

The president has said military force remains an option to deal with North Korea, as Kim ramps up his efforts to become able to deliver a nuclear warhead as far as North America.

Acting Assistant Secretary of State Susan Thornton on Friday acknowledged China's efforts, such as banning North Korean coal imports and tightening border controls, while adding that the Chinese "clearly have to do more."

Suga said Japanese officials would discuss North Korea with Yang Jiechi, a senior foreign policy adviser to Chinese President Xi Jinping who was scheduled to visit Japan later Monday.

In an interview Sunday, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis explained what's at stake if diplomacy fails and tensions with North Korea boil over into war.

A conflict in North Korea "would be probably the worst kind of fighting in most people's lifetimes," Mattis said on CBS' Face the Nation. "The North Korean regime has hundreds of artillery cannons and rocket launchers within range" of Seoul, he said.

The latest missile test didn't pose a threat to North America, the U.S. Pacific Command said in an emailed statement.

Abe said Japan is preparing steps with the U.S. to deter Kim's government from repeating provocations. Japan's leader, who hailed the G-7's discussion of North Korea in Sicily, said the summit confirmed that the issue is one of the top priorities in the international community.

North Korea tested a rocket May 14 that it said could carry a "large-size heavy nuclear warhead" over long distances. The Hwasong-12 was estimated to have a range of at least 2,800 miles, putting it within reach of U.S. military facilities on the island of Guam.

A week later, it fired a medium-range Pukguksong-2, which Kim has approved for deployment and mass production, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The missile is powered by solid fuel, potentially making it easier to fire quickly from a mobile launcher that could avoid detection.

North Korea thus far has not conducted a nuclear test this year. The isolated nation has performed five nuclear trials since 2006, three of which took place under Kim, who took power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011.

Information for this article was contributed by Kanga Kong, Hooyeon Kim, Peter Pae, Andy Sharp, Shin Shoji, Finbarr Flynn, Isabel Reynolds and Ryan Beene of Bloomberg News and by Foster Klug, Hyung-Jin Kim, Mari Yamaguchi and Kaori Hitomi of The Associated Press.

A Section on 05/30/2017

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