North Korean missile test disrupts APEC summit
STORY: World leaders convened an emergency meeting on the sidelines of an APEC summit in Thailand on Friday (November 18), after North Korea fired off yet another missile.
Tokyo said it was likely an intercontinental ballistic missile, and that it landed 130 miles off the coast of Japan.
The United States, South Korea, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, and Australia all condemned the launch, only a day after Pyongyang's last projectile.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris:
“We strongly condemn these actions and we again call for North Korea to stop further unlawful, destabilising acts. On behalf of the United States, I reaffirm our iron-clad commitment to our Indo-Pacific alliances. Together, the countries represented here will continue to urge North Korea to commit to serious and sustained diplomacy.”
Japan's prime minister warned of further missile launches, as well as a possible nuclear test.
It has been a record-breaking year for Pyongyang’s missile program, after it resumed testing long-range weapons for the first time since 2017.
A tally by the U.S. State Department puts this as the eighth ICBM to be launched this year.
The North’s ballistic missile tests are banned by UN Security Council resolutions.
Pyongyang also broke its self-imposed moratorium on long-range launches.
South Korea and the United States held joint air force drills on Friday, in response to this latest test.
