North Korea fire ballistic missile again

International Desk: North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, a day after President Park Geun-hye of South Korea said her government remained firm in its plan to deploy an advanced American missile defense system despite protests at home and from China.

The North Korean missile, a midrange Rodong missile, was fired from Eunyul, near the country’s southwestern tip, at 7:50 a.m. It flew 620 miles before plunging into waters off the east coast, the South Korean military said in a statement.

“By launching a ballistic missile that can be tipped with a nuclear warhead in the future, North Korea directly and blatantly demonstrated its provocative ambition to target seaports and airfields across South Korea and even its neighboring countries,” the military’s statement said.

The United States Strategic Command, which monitors North Korean missile tests, said the North fired two missiles on Wednesday, one of them exploding immediately after launch.

The launch was the North’s first ballistic missile test since it tested a Scud-type short-range missile and two midrange Rodong ballistic missiles on July 19. United Nations Security Council resolutions have barred North Korea from developing ballistic missiles.

North Korea was thought to have launched those missiles last month to demonstrate a capability to strike South Korea despite the South’s plan to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery, known as Thaad, in the town of Seongju by the end of next year, analysts said.

Source: Agencies

risingbd/Dhaka/Aug 03, 2016/A K Azad