The United States on Sunday warned North Korea against “provocative actions”, hours after the country’s leader Kim Jong-un claimed it was close to test-launching a missile capable of reaching American shores, Reuters reported. The North Korean leader had said on Sunday that the nuclear-capable country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Urging all states to show the North that any “unlawful actions would have consequences”, the Pentagon, in a statement, urged Pyongyang to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric “that threaten international peace and stability”.
During a televised New Year’s Day speech, Kim said, “Research and development of cutting-edge arms equipment is actively progressing.” He added that North Korea was now the “military power of the East”, reported The Guardian.
The country has been under the sanctions of the United Nations since 2006 for repeatedly conducting nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The ballistic missile, Musudan, has been designed to fly about 3,000 km, which would pose a threat to South Korea, Japan and the US territory of Guam, reported Reuters.
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