(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) US officials have condemned North Korea's test on Friday of what
is believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, but said
the launch does not pose a direct threat to America, trend reports citing
the national .
Vice President Kamala Harris, on a visit to Thailand, held a
meeting after the launch with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
and South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, among other
allies.
“We strongly condemn these actions, and we again call for North
Korea to stop further unlawful, destabilising acts,” said Ms
Harris, who is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation
summit in Bangkok.
The apparent missile landed inside Japan's exclusive economic
zone, about 200km west of Oshima-Oshima island, off the northern
island of Hokkaido.
Japan's Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada warned that the weapon
could have a range exceeding 15,000km,“in which case, it could
cover the entire mainland United States”.
White House National Security spokesman John Kirby told
reporters that Washington remains committed to maintaining direct
communication with North Korea, also known as the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea.
“They launch, they learn, and that's concerning,” said Mr
Kirby.
“Their programme still grows and it gets to improve … that's
destabilising, not just to the peninsula but to the region itself,”
he added.
The White House said that while the launch is concerning to
Washington, it“did not deem it a threat to the homeland”.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price urged“countries to
fully implement DPRK-related UN Security Council resolutions” that
block Pyongyang from acquiring the technologies needed to launch
“these destabilising tests”.
Officials reiterated Washington's commitment to working
“bilaterally and trilaterally” with its South Korean and Japanese
allies to ensure North Korea's US-friendly neighbours have“the
right defensive capabilities.”
“The work of readiness is never static,” said Mr Kirby.