According to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, North Korea’s firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile is “illegal and destabilizing.”
At a joint press conference with Lee Jong-sup from South Korea, Austin referred to the North’s conduct as “irresponsible and reckless.”
The ICBM launch, which was a part of a salvo of missiles fired on Thursday, was “presumed to have ended in failure,” according to a statement from South Korea’s military.
South Korea and the US announced they would prolong their ongoing joint air drills, the largest-ever such exercises, in reaction to the launches. Pyongyang quickly dubbed this decision “an irreparable and dreadful blunder.”
Washington and Seoul have repeatedly expressed concern that recent missile launches by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could lead to Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear test.
Kim declared North Korea to be an “irreversible” nuclear power in September, which effectively put a stop to negotiations over its prohibited weapons programs. As a result, North Korea changed its legal framework to permit pre-emptive nuclear strikes.
