US says North Korea's missile launch poses threat to DPRK's neighbours, int'l community

Hours after North Korea fired an "unidentified" missile into the East Sea, the US State Department issued a statement lambasting the launch and stated that it was a direct violation of multiple United Nations Secutiry Council (UNSC) resolutions. Pointing out that such ballistic tests jeopardise regional security and international ties, it called for resumption of nuclear talks between the two Korean states. In the statement, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken-led department denied any possibility of US interference in the Korean peninsula and said that US “remains committed to a diplomatic approach".

"The United States condemns the DPRK's missile launch," the department said in a statement. "This launch is in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and poses a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and the international community. We remain committed to a diplomatic approach to the DPRK and call on them to engage in dialogue."

North Korea fires unidentified missile

North Korea on Tuesday launched at least one unidentified “projectile” into the East sea, the South Korean military said in a statement on Sept. 28. The launch appears to be a “ballistic missile” or weaponry, the Japanese Defense Ministry later confirmed. The test-firing of the suspected missile comes just 3 days after the powerful sister of the authoritarian North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, Kim Yo Jong stated that her country would mend ties with South Korea, and may even discuss prospects of a historic summit between the two leaders, putting an official end to the decades-long Korean War if the South improved its ‘hostility and double standards'. 

Is a Nuclear war between the US and North Korea Possible?

Nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States have been in limbo following the collapse of the 2019 summit between Kim Jong-un and then American President Donald Trump. However, as Joe Biden took the charge, he vowed a “practical, calibrated approach” to persuade the hermit nation to give up its banned nuclear weapons and other ballistic missiles.

On the other hand, Kim, in his first response to the Biden policy review, asserted that Pyongyang must prepare for both “dialogue and confrontation”. According to North Korean state media, Kim also ordered his government to be fully prepared for a confrontation with the Biden administration. The Korean Central News Agency said that Kim issued the order while clarifying the steps the North must take in response to the policy direction of the new US government of President Joe Biden during an ongoing ruling party meeting in Pyongyang. KCNA further quoted Kim as saying, such preparation is necessary to “protect the dignity of our state and its interests for independent development and to reliably guarantee the peaceful environment and the security of our state".

(Image: AP)