China calls for halt to North Korea nuclear, missile activities

North Korea launched a salvo of four missiles on Sunday night, potentially telegraphing a “saturation attack” meant to defeat US, South Korean, or Japanese missile defenses.

Involved in the drill were Hwasong artillery units of the KPA Strategic Forces “tasked to strike the bases of the United States imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency”, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

Experts point out that even if North Korea fails to create a full-fledged nuclear warhead installed on a rocket or placed on an aircraft, it still might be able to create a nuclear explosive device, which would carry the additional risk of an unexpected detonation at any stage in the flight. “I think that’s why the THAAD missile system that we’ve started to deploy into South Korea is so important”, he said referring to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system the US Army has placed in South Korea.

The missiles traveled about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) and three of them landed in waters close to Japan that are part of its exclusive economic zone.

The South Korean capital of Seoul, but not necessarily from ballistic missiles.

North Korea has already denounced this year’s exercises through state media service KCNA. This move has angered China and Russian Federation, who believe the system’s powerful radar could be used to track their missile launches.

“This is the third time North Korean ballistic missiles fell into our country’s EEZ, following those in August and September past year”, Suga told reporters.

In a statement to Yonhap, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said there are no changes to THAAD deployment plans and that the U.S.

“We are conducting an analysis (with the U.S.) to determine the exact type of missiles fired and other specifications”.

The combined actions of North Korea, South Korea, the United States, China and Japan have probably made the Korean peninsula the most risky potential flashpoint in the whole world at the moment.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed that North Korea could suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for a halt in joint military drills conducted by the USA and South Korea.

“It is time we acquired the capability”, said Hiroshi Imazu, the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP’s) policy council on security. “Nuclear weapons will not bring security”.

“The major issue with relying on the missile defense system is capacity”, Ian Williams, associate director at the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies told Business Insider. And it could encourage the U.S.to strengthen its military posture in the region with systems like THAAD.

But Beijing remains reluctant to exert too much pressure on its traditional ally, fearing that a regime collapse would lead to a unified Korea allied with Washington at its border.

Nikki Haley has told the United Nations Security Council the USA is re-thinking its diplomatic approach to North Korea following repeated missile tests by the secretive state.

Japan and the United States are strong allies.

Thae Yong-ho, a high-ranking North Korean defector, made similar observations a few months later.

“The DPRK’s provocations only serve to increase the global community’s resolve to counter the DPRK’s prohibited weapons of mass destruction programs”, acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. In the meantime, the rest of the world should hope that everyone remains cool and calm in Pyongyang, Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo and Washington – a lot to wish for, given the volatility of the region. “We just hope that the United States can solve this”, Mr Zhang said.

The THAAD deployment will hang over Tillerson’s meetings with the Chinese.

Both Abe and South Korea’s prime minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn, strongly condemned Monday’s launches, while China’s foreign ministry said it “opposes” them. -South Korean drills that began last week.

The United States has rejected China’s proposal to reduce tension in the Korean peninsula.