After watching the launch of the new Pukguksong-2 missile, the North Korean dictator was reportedly satisfied with its accuracy and branded it a “successful strategic weapon”, according to state-run media outlet KCNA. After the second missile launch in less than a week, KCNA reported: "Saying with pride that the missile's rate of hits is very accurate and Pukguksong-2 is a successful strategic weapon, [Kim Jong-un] approved the deployment of this weapon system for action.

"Now that its tactical and technical data met the requirements of the party, this type of missile should be rapidly mass-produced in a serial way to arm the KPA Strategic Force.” The propaganda outlet added that the test "aimed to finally verify all the technical indexes of the weapon system and thoroughly examine its adaptability under various battle conditions, before its deployment at military units for action”.

The launch brought fresh condemnation from the US, South Korea and Japan, with the three countries jointly requesting an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss the matter. Seoul’s foreign ministry blasted the "reckless and irresponsible" missile launch, describing it as "throwing cold water on the hope and longing of the new government and the international community" for denuclearisation and peace on the Korean peninsula. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said the latest missile test by Pyongyang was "a snub and a challenge to international efforts for a peaceful resolution".

North Korea launched a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile on May 14, which reportedly flew almost 800km and was capable of carrying a "heavy" nuclear warhead. The test was seen as a significant step forward for Kim Jong-un’s plan to develop weapons capable of hitting the US mainland.

Donald Trump has pledged to place stronger economic and diplomatic sanctions on the hermit kingdom as it scrambles to build nuclear weapons. On Saturday, KCNA said: “Today the US mainland and the Pacific operational theatre are within the strike range of the DPRK and the DPRK has all kinds of powerful means for annihilating retaliatory strike.” </s> CLOSE North Korea claims it has test launched and is ready to deploy a medium-to-long range ballistic missile that it calls an "answer" to President Trump's policies. It says the missile is capable of reaching Japan and major US military bases there. (May 22) AP

In this undated photo distributed by the North Korean government on May 22, 2017, a solid-fuel Pukguksong-2 missile lifts off during its launch test at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Photo: AP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday ordered mass production of a medium-range ballistic missile successfully tested a day earlier that is capable of reaching several U.S. bases in the region.

State-run KCNA news service said Kim ordered Sunday's test launch from an observation post and "expressed his great satisfaction" with the results.

"Saying with pride that the missile's rate of hits is very accurate and Pukguksong-2 is a successful strategic weapon, he approved the deployment of this weapon system for action," KCNA said.

David Wright, a senior scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, has been monitoring North Korea's missile development for decades and says Pyongyang's program is making alarming strides.

"They are showing more sophistication," Wright told USA TODAY. "We need to start a dialogue. We are simply running out of time."

Sunday's test came one week after Pyongyang successfully tested another type of missile that it boasted was capable of reaching the U.S. armed with a nuclear warhead.

The United Nations Security Council will hold a closed-door session Tuesday to discuss the test. France’s U.N. ambassador Francois Delattre said Pyongyang's behavior demands “a swift and firm reaction” from the Security Council, including tougher sanctions, the Associated Press reported. Last week, the Security Council "strongly condemned" Pyongyang's testing and urged members to fully implement stiff U.N. sanctions already in place.

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The test Sunday involved a medium-range ballistic missile that has a shorter range than others fired by the communist regime in recent months, the White House said. The path of the missile, which flew about 310 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan, was monitored by the South Korean military and the U.S. Pacific Command.

Wright said that based on trajectory the missile appeared to have a range of about 800 miles — perhaps sufficient to reach U.S. military installations across South Korea and Japan but not the U.S. territory of Guam. He said Pyongyang is developing two types of missiles — the solid-fuel Pukguksong-2 missile that can be fired from a mobile launcher and the liquid-fuel Hwasong-12, tested a week earlier, that involves a more complicated launch structure.

Pacific Command Cmdr. David Benham said an assessment of the tests revealed the launches did not pose a threat to North America. But he emphasized that U.S. officials were closely monitoring the tests and pledged "ironclad commitment" to allies in the region. Such language has become standard following a series of North Korean missile tests in recent months.

North Korea has been stepping up its missile testing, apparently attempting to develop a missile capable of reaching the United States. Kim has frequently expressed outrage at the U.S., most recently for massive military exercises conducted with South Korea and for U.S. deployment of an anti-missile system designed to counter the Pyongyang missile threat.

The Trump administration has pressed China, North Korea's closest ally, to rein in Pyongyang. Wright said he thinks Kim may be ready to make a deal, and the rush of tests in recent weeks is probably the North's effort to "make what progress they can before they freeze things."

Wright said President Trump brings "fresh eyes" to the conflict but also understands what previous presidents have learned: There is no realistic military option. North Korea is capable of causing major damage to South Korea and Japan in the event of war, Wright said.

"I think this guy (Kim) is rational, but he's unpredictable," Wright said. "Ramping up sanctions and working with China to get some sort of talks started is the only way forward."

Contributing: Gregory Korte

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2qNvvlY </s> North Korea on Monday declared its medium-range Pukguksong-2 missile ready for deployment after a weekend test, the latest step in its quest to defy UN sanctions and develop an intercontinental rocket capable of striking US targets.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency said the North's leader Kim Jong-Un oversaw Sunday's launch, which sparked a fresh chorus of international condemnation and threats of tougher sanctions.

The missile tested was the Pukguksong-2, which uses solid fuel that allows for immediate firing, KCNA said.

So far almost all the North's missiles have been liquid-fuelled, which have to be painstakingly filled with propellant before launch, while solid fuel missiles can be fired far more rapidly.

That would dramatically shorten the time available for any attempt to intervene and prevent a launch, requiring any such decision to be taken much more quickly.

Seoul military officials have previously said the Pukguksong-2 -- a land-based version of Pyongyang's submarine-launched weapon -- uses solid fuel.

Kim said "with pride" that the Pukguksong-2 was a "very accurate" missile and a "successful strategic weapon", KCNA said, adding he "approved the deployment of this weapon system for action".

The launch "completely verified" the reliability and accuracy of the device, and its late-stage warhead guidance system, KCNA said, adding the test results were "perfect".

Images carried by the Rodong Sinmun -- the official mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea -- showed a smiling Kim clapping surrounded by his aides in an outdoor observation post as the missile shot up into the air.

It also had several pictures of the Earth said to have been taken from the rocket from space -- the first such pictures released by the North.

Kim "said he was very happy to see pictures of the Earth taken by our rocket and that the world looks beautiful", KCNA said, adding that he ordered the missile to be "rapidly mass-produced".

The missile, which was described by Washington as medium-range, was fired from Pukchang in South Pyongan province and travelled about 500 kilometres (310 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan, according to the South's armed forces.

The rocket used a cold-launch system, KCNA said.

The technology uses compressed gas to propel a missile upwards before its engine ignites in mid-air. It is considered safer and also makes it easier to hide the launch location.

A spokesman for Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters that South Korean and US intelligence authorities "assess that North Korea secured meaningful data in advancing the reliability of its missile technology through yesterday's missile launch".

But he added: "Our position is that the stable re-entry of the warhead needs more verification."

The US, South Korea and Japan sharply denounced the launch and jointly requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which will be held Tuesday.

The launch came just one week after the North fired a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile, which according to Pyongyang was capable of carrying a "heavy" nuclear warhead".

Analysts said that at 4,500 kilometres the Hwasong-12 had a longer range than any previous ballistic missile launched by the North, putting US bases on the Pacific island of Guam within reach -- and that it could serve as a platform to develop a long-range ICBM.

Pyongyang has long had missiles that can reach targets across South Korea and Japan but is accelerating efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the continental United States -- something President Donald Trump has vowed "won't happen".

The launches, and a threatened sixth nuclear test, have fuelled tension with the Trump administration, which has warned that military intervention was an option under consideration, sending fears of conflict spiralling.

But so far Washington has opted for sanctions and diplomatic pressure, while looking to China, the North's closest ally, to help rein in Pyongyang.

Seoul's foreign ministry slammed the "reckless and irresponsible" weekend firing as "throwing cold water on the hope and longing of the new government and the international community" for denuclearisation and peace on the Korean peninsula.

South Korea's new President Moon Jae-In has previously taken a more conciliatory line towards Pyongyang than his conservative predecessors, but has reacted strongly to the latest two missile tests. </s> MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier on Monday media reported, that Pyongyang announced the successful launch of the intermediate-range ballistic missile.

“This type of missile should be rapidly mass-produced in a serial way,” Kim said as quoted by Yonhap news agency.

The North Korean leader supervised the launch of Pukguksong-2 missile and expressed satisfaction with its accuracy in hitting targets, according to the outlet citing the North Korean state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The ground-to-ground missile launched on Sunday reportedly flew some 500 kilometers (310 miles) before falling into the Sea of Japan short of reaching Japan’s exclusive economic zone. </s> "This type of missile should be rapidly mass-produced in a serial way," Kim said as quoted by Yonhap news agency.

The North Korean leader supervised the launch of Pukguksong-2 missile and expressed satisfaction with its accuracy in hitting targets, according to the outlet citing the North Korean state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The ground-to-ground missile launched on Sunday reportedly flew some 500 kilometers (310 miles) before falling into the Sea of Japan short of reaching Japan’s exclusive economic zone. </s> Seoul: North Korea said on Monday its latest missile launch was aimed at confirming the reliability of the late-stage guidance of the nuclear warhead, indicating further advances in the ability to hit US targets. It said it had been successful.

The North's KCNA news agency said leader Kim Jong-un supervised the test which also verified the functioning of the solid-fuel engine for the Pukguksong-2 missile and ordered it for deployment in field action.

The launch verified the reliability and accuracy of the solid-fuel engine's operation and stage separation and the late-stage guidance of the nuclear warhead which was recorded by a device mounted on the warhead, KCNA said.

"Viewing the images of the Earth being sent real-time from the camera mounted on the ballistic missile, Supreme leader Kim Jong-un said it feels grand to look at the Earth from the rocket we launched and the entire world looks so beautiful," KCNA said.

North Korea has defied all calls to rein in its nuclear and missile programs, even from China, its lone major ally, saying the weapons are needed for legitimate self-defence. The North last conducted a ballistic missile test a week ago.

"Saying with pride that the missile's rate of hits is very accurate and Pukguksong-2 is a successful strategic weapon, he approved the deployment of this weapon system for action," KCNA said, quoting leader Kim Jong-un.

The missile flew about 500 kilometres, reaching an altitude of 560 km, and landed in waters off the North's east coast, South Korea's military said on Sunday.

The reclusive state has been working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the US mainland. On Saturday, it said it had developed the capability to strike the US mainland, although Western missile experts say the claim is exaggerated.

On Monday, KCNA said the latest test follows the successful test last week of another missile that has put Hawaii and Alaska within range.

Experts say solid fuel engines and mobile launchers make it more difficult to detect signs of launch preparations.

"For military purposes, solid-fueled missiles have the advantage that they have the fuel loaded in them and can be launched quickly after they are moved to a launch site," David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a blog post.

"Building large solid missiles is difficult," he said, adding it took decades for major superpowers such as France and China to go from a medium-range missile to an intercontinental ballistic missile.

"So this is not something that will happen soon, but with time North Korea will be able to do it," Wright said.

An official travelling with US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia said the White House was aware of the latest launch and noted that the missile had a shorter range than the three previous missiles that North Korea had tested.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said economic and diplomatic pressure would continue to be applied to North Korea.

The two missile tests in a week complicate plans by South Korea's new President Moon Jae-in to seek ways to reduce tension on the peninsula.

Moon took office on May 10 after winning an election on a platform of a more moderate approach to the North, with which the South is still technically at war since no peace treaty was signed at the end of their 1950-1953 conflict. </s> North Korea confirmed on Monday that it had "successfully" tested a solid-fuel ballistic missile that it claims is capable of reaching Japan and major U.S. military bases, according to state media.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch from an observation post and ordered it for deployment, according to state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Kim reportedly hailed the launch as a success and "approved the deployment of this weapon system for action" and said that it should "be rapidly mass-produced."

The launch marked the country's second missile test in a little more than a week as the country continues to defy orders for it to reign in its nuclear and missile program.

The new ground-to-ground missile, Pukguksong-2, flew about 310 miles and reached an altitude of about 350 miles on Sunday.

The test quiets aspirations of peace between North and South Korea. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it strongly condemns the launch and urged North Korea to immediately stop any actions that violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.

President Donald Trump, currently in the midst of his first foreign trip as president, had no immediate public comment on the test.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called the country’s previous missile launch "disappointing" and "disturbing" in an interview on Sunday.

"The ongoing testing is disappointing, it's disturbing, and we ask that they cease that, because until they cease that testing, clearly they have not changed their view," Tillerson in an interview with FOX News Sunday. “But I think we're early into the game of putting pressure on them. And one could also interpret that perhaps they're just acting out now in response to some of this pressure that I believe they're beginning to feel."

ABC News' Joohee Cho and The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> North Korea confirms it has “successfully” completed the launch of a new medium-range ballistic missile, the Pukguksong-2. According to North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, the Pukguksong-2 was test-fired on Sunday under the supervision of North Korean leader Kim Jung Un. KCNA also reported Kim was present at the site and personally gave the order for the test-fire.

The launch had been confirmed by South Korean and US officials. This is the first such test by Pyongyang since US President Donald Trump took office.

The missile, which sources said landed in the Sea of Japan, was fired as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited President Trump in the United States.

“North Korea’s most recent missile launch is absolutely intolerable. North Korea must fully comply with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” Abe told a news conference at Palm Beach, Florida.

North Korea is prohibited from carrying out ballistic missile launches under UN Security Council resolutions aimed in part at curbing the country’s development of nuclear weapons.

Trump spoke after Abe and gave a one-sentence statement: “I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100%.”

Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said the fact the launch came as Abe met with Trump made it “a clear provocation to Japan and the region.”

Tokyo has already lodged protests against North Korea via its embassy in Beijing, he said.

KCNA described the missile as a “Korean style new type strategic weapon system, ” capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and capable of “evading interception.” The report by KCNA said Kim “expressed great satisfaction over the possession of another powerful nuclear attack means which adds to the tremendous might of the country.”

“Thanks to the development of the new strategic weapon system, our People’s Army is capable of performing its strategic duties most accurately and rapidly in any space: under waters or on the land,” KCNA reported.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told CNN the missile appeared to be a modified intermediate-range Musudan level missile. Earlier analysis had guessed it to be a shorter-range Rodong.

They ruled out the possibility that it was a longer-range intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM — which are usually designed to carry nuclear warheads — based on the flight distance.

Sources told CNN the missile traveled 500 kilometers (310 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, and that it was launched from North Pyongan Province.

KCNA said the launch “was conducted by the high-angle launching method instead of firing range, taking the security of the neighboring countries into consideration.”

Acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn said: “The South Korean government and the international community are working together to take punitive actions appropriate for this launch.”

Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, spoke to his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan Jin, according to the South Korean President’s office. They condemned the launch and agreed “to seek all possible options” to deter Pyongyang in the future.

Konstantin Kosachev, a chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Federation Council, said North Korea must comply with the UN Security Council resolution, Sputnik reported. But he warned against any “unilateral action by US, South Korea, and Japan” that would add tension to the situation.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg issued a statement on Sunday condemning the launch and saying North Korea “must refrain from further provocations, halt all launches using ballistic missile technology and abandon once and for all its ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, as required by the UN Security Council.”

The European Union, too, condemned North Korea and said that “repeated disregard of its international obligations is provocative and unacceptable” through a statement by the EU’s spokesperson’s office. The statement added., “The high representative/vice-president, Federica Mogherini, will speak in the coming days to the foreign ministers of international partners to further discuss the international response.”

China, North Korea’s only real ally, has not yet commented on the launch.

South Korean security officials held an emergency meeting about the launch.

“Today’s ballistic missile test by North Korea is the first ballistic missile test this year since 24 launches last year,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Cho June-Hyuck.

“This is a clear violation of the (UN Security Council resolution) and threat to peace and security of the Korean peninsula and the entire international community. The government strongly condemns it.”

North Korea conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests in 2016 and a satellite launch that experts said was a sign it has cleared significant hurdles toward ICBM technology. But until Sunday, it hadn’t tested a ballistic missile since October 20.

Step toward missile that can hit US?

In January, US and South Korean officials told CNN that North Korea might be readying two ICBMs for a test launch in the near future, though some analysts dispute how close Pyongang actually is to testing such a missile.

But Ret. Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling said Sunday’s test would help the North Koreans improve their missile technology, and could help in their development of an ICBM.

“That’s the goal of the North Korean politicians,” he said.

“This intermediate ballistic missile is certainly dangerous. It has a greater range than some of the Musudan missiles that they have been testing prior to that. And it’s not only a concern for the United States to hit the mainland, but it also has concerns for all of our Asia partners.”

Hertling said because of the poor accuracy of North Korean missiles, missiles are fired at the Sea of Japan. North Korea wants to see how far the missile will fly and whether it will fall apart.

Pyongyang has been steadily working to improve its missile and weapons capability, conducting a fifth nuclear test in September.

It isn’t clear whether North Korea has the ability yet to put a nuclear warhead on its intermediate-range missiles. But while many experts think North Korea isn’t yet able to make it a global threat, US commanders say they need to be prepared for the possibility.

“Combining nuclear warheads with ballistic missile technology in the hands of a volatile leader like Kim Jong Un is a recipe for disaster,” Adm. Harry Harris, the head of the US military’s Pacific Command, said in a December speech. </s> Kim Jong-un has warned he is ready to mass-produce missiles capable of reaching US military bases after North Korea's latest test launch.

The dictator watched on as his Pukguksong-2 missile flew 310 miles and reached a height of 350 miles before plunging into the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.

Kim hailed the trial as a success, 'approved the deployment of this weapon system for action' and said that it should 'be rapidly mass-produced.'

US President Donald Trump, travelling in Saudi Arabia, had no immediate public comment.

The North Korean leader ordered the launch and watched from an observation post, state media reported Monday.

The Korea Central News Agency said the test verified technical aspects of the weapon system and examined its 'adaptability under various battle conditions' before it is deployed to military units.

North Korea has significantly accelerated its missile tests over the past year or so and appears to be making tangible progress toward developing an arsenal that poses a threat not only to South Korea and Japan - which together host about 80,000 U.S. troops - but also toward an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the mainland United States.

It's moving ahead with its nuclear weapons program as well.

The North conducted two nuclear tests last year. It claims one was a hydrogen bomb and the other device created a more powerful explosion than any the North has previous tested. Satellite imagery suggests it could be ready to conduct its next test - which would be its sixth - at virtually any time.

Pyongyang's often-stated goal is to perfect a nuclear warhead that it can put on a missile capable of hitting Washington or other U.S. cities.

North Korea's media, meanwhile, have stepped up their calls for even more missile launches because of what Pyongyang claims is an increasingly hostile policy by President Donald Trump.

'The Trump administration would be well advised to lend an ear to the voices of concern that are heard from the U.S. and the international community,' the North's Minju Joson newspaper said in a commentary Sunday.

'Many more "Juche weapons" capable of striking the U.S. will be launched from this land. This is the DPRK's answer to the Trump administration.'

'Juche,' in this usage, refers to domestically produced and DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

In an interview with 'Fox News Sunday' U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the ongoing testing is 'disappointing' and 'disturbing.'

South Korea held a National Security Council meeting after the launch, and its Foreign Ministry said the launch 'throws cold water' on efforts to ease tensions on the peninsula.

At the request of diplomats from the U.S., Japan and South Korea, a United Nations' Security Council consultation on the missile test will take place Tuesday.

North Korea a week earlier had successfully tested a new midrange missile - the Hwasong 12 - that it said could carry a heavy nuclear warhead.

Experts said that rocket flew higher and for a longer time than any other missile previously tested by North Korea and represents another big advance toward a viable ICBM.

David Wright, an expert on North Korea's missiles and nuclear program who is with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the latest missile could have flown farther but was fired on a 'lofted' trajectory, which sends the missile high up so that it will land in the open seas rather than flying over or splashing down near neighboring countries.

He noted the Pukguksong-2's solid fuel is of particular concern.

Solid-fuel missiles have their fuel loaded in them before being moved into place, allowing them to be launched faster and with more secrecy.

Liquid-fuel missiles, on the other hand, are fueled at the launch site in a process that can last an hour and requires fueling and other vehicles. That makes then easier to spot and easier to destroy than the solid-fuel variety.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reports the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, has approved deployment of the Pukguksong-2 intermediate-range ballistic missile, and ordered mass production of the system. The United Nations Security Council will hold a closed-door session Tuesday to discuss the test.