North Korea tests long-range missile amid heightened tensions

The South Korean military Monday said the device was a solid-fuel missile that flew about 620 miles before falling into the ocean between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. North Korea last tested a long-range missile in July. The weapon has the potential to travel more than 9,300 miles and reach the United States, said Japan’s Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defense Shingo Miyake. American, South Korean, and Japanese officials on Monday condemned the launch as a violation of United Nations security resolutions.

Why is North Korea increasing its weapons testing? American and South Korean officials on Friday met to discuss the use of American weapons to deter North Korean threats. The countries warned Pyongyang that any nuclear attacks would lead to the end of the regime. In response, Pyongyang on Sunday tested a short-range missile that fell into the ocean. It also criticized the arrival of the nuclear submarine USS Missouri in the South Korean port of Busan.

Dig deeper: Read Rebeccah L. Heinrichs’ column in WORLD Opinions about North Korea’s “dangerous saber-rattling.”