North Korea Launches Missile From Test Facility, CBS News Reports
NORTH KOREA (CBSNewYork/CBSNews) -- North Korea launched a missile from a test facility early Sunday morning, U.S. officials tell CBS News.
The South Korean military says the missile flew about 435 miles, according to Reuters. The missile flew for 30 minutes before landing in the Sea of Japan, Reuters said, citing a Japanese official.
U.S. officials said they were still assessing whether the launch was successful and what type of missile was tested.
Although the kind of missile is not yet known, the U.S. had been expecting North Korea to fire a KN-17 medium-range ballistic missile, CBS News' national security correspondent David Martin reports.
The White House released a statement late Saturday night condemning the launch.
"North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long. South Korea and Japan have been watching this situation closely with us. The United States maintains our ironclad commitment to stand with our allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea," it read in part. "Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea."
The White House added "with the missile impacting so close to Russian soil-- in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan -- the president cannot imagine that Russia is pleased."
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the launch did not pose a threat to North America, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Command Maj. Rob Shuford said.
This comes just weeks after North Korea angered the Trump administration by launching a missile into the Sea of Japan.
