South Korea navy fires warning shots at North vessel

United States ambassador Samantha Powers called for robust responses to “violations” committed by the North Koreans. China’s cooperation is key to any sanctions resolution because it’s a veto-holding permanent member.

It comes just weeks after Pyongyang claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb, despite being under United Nations sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006.

Japan, long concerned about North Korea’s ballistic missile program, has previously said it was considering THAAD to beef up its defenses.

North Korea’s latest launch of a long-range rocket prompted Seoul and Washington to begin talks on the deployment of an advanced USA missile defense system in South Korea, a move that has been strongly opposed by the North’s important ally, China.

South Korean MPs were told by the country’s spy agency later on Sunday that the launch should be treated as a ballistic missile test, as the satellite it put into orbit would be useless.

“It is widely believed by military experts that once THAAD is installed, Chinese missiles will be included as its target of surveillance, which will jeopardise Chinese national security”, it said. But the timing of this one – so soon after North Korea’s rocket launch – will likely bring additional scrutiny to the incident, she said.

The men and women of Stratcom, NORAD, Northcom and Pacom remain vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and are fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security, ” the officials said in the release.

North Korean officials claimed the launch succeeded in putting an Earth-observation satellite called Kwangmyongsong-4 into orbit.

The US Strategic Command said it had detected a missile entering space and South Korea’s military said the rocket had put an object into orbit.

South Korea hailed the U.N. Security Council’s adoption of a press statement condemning the North’s rocket launch. And it would also reduce the range its missiles would need to travel.

Japan also said it is considering THAAD to enhance its defenses. It said the missile separated into five segments before passing over Japan’s southwest island chain, with the final segment landing the western Pacific Ocean about 1,242 miles south of the island of Okinawa. It has conducted three more atomic tests since then, including the one last month, along with numerous ballistic missile launches. No reason was given for the change.

In a special state TV broadcast, a female North Korean announcer, wearing a traditional Korean hanbok dress, hailed the “epochal” launch, personally ordered by leader Kim Jong-Un, as a major success.

The Security Council underscored that the launch, even if characterised as a satellite launch or space launch vehicle, contributes to North Korea’s development of nuclear weapon delivery systems.