North Korea fired what the United States military believes to be an intercontinental ballistic missile today as the Pentagon confirmed that it detected and tracked a single North Korean projectile at 1:17 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
“The missile was launched from Sain Ni, North Korea, and traveled about 1,000 kilometers before splashing down in the Sea of Japan, within Japan’s Economic Exclusion Zone,” according to Pentagon spokesperson Col. Rob Manning. “We are working with our interagency partners on a more detailed assessment of the launch.” “The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America, our territories or our allies.”
The missile, launched from near the capital of Pyongyang, breaks the longest lull in a test launch this year and dashes hope that the North Korea may be restraining its aggressive pursuit of a nuclear weapon that could strike the U.S. mainland.
The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed while the missile was still in the air. Trump told reporters, “We will take care of it. It is a situation that we will handle.”
