South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Sunday said Seoul is doing its best to carry out a "corresponding" response to punish Pyongyang for its latest missile launch.
The communist state launched a ballistic missile at around 7:55 a.m. toward the East Sea from Banghyon air base in its western province of North Pyongan, the first missile provocation since Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president on Jan. 20.
"Our government, in tandem with the international community, is doing its best to ensure a corresponding response to punish the North (for its missile launch)," Hwang said during a daily meeting of officials and experts on foot-and-mouth disease and avian influenza.
The type of missile has yet to be identified. But military authorities here said it does not seem to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Since the beginning of this year, Pyongyang has been ratcheting up military tensions. Its leader Kim Jong-un had been saying that his country was in the closing phase of preparations to test-fire an ICBM, while the North's state media had also said Pyongyang could fire an ICBM at any time from any place. (Yonhap)