North Korea President Kim Jong Un got angry and so disappointed after their ballistic missile “exploded very quickly” on its test launch on Sunday, U.S. and South Korean military officials stated, came hours before Vice President Mike Pence landed in South Korea on a planned visit.
Pence is due in Seoul at the start of a 10-day trip to Asia in what his aides said was a sign of the U.S. commitment to its ally in the face of the rising tension.
According to U.S. Pacific Command, the launch was attempted from Sinpo, some 400 miles from Japan.
The failed launch from North Korea’s east coast, ignoring admonitions from major ally China, came a day after North Korea held a massive parade to display its military might, in its capital, denoting the birth commemoration of the state founder, in which what seemed to be new long-range ballistic missiles were on display.
South Korea officials said the combined show of force “threatened the whole world”.
Early assessments suggested the projectile was not the feared intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the United States, two U.S. military officials said.
It marks the second time in as many months that a North Korean missile ended in an embarrassing explosion just after launch. – JCE.
nice