North Korea: Trump threatens ‘major sanctions’ after latest missile test

Donald Trump threatened to impose major sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s latest test of a ballistic missile, that appeared capable of reaching most if not all of the US mainland.

The US president’s remarks were followed by UN ambassador Nikki Haley saying the ballistic missile launch “brings us closer to war” at an emergency UN security council meeting, which would end the North Korean regime.

Trump said in a tweet he had spoken with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, about “the provocative actions of North Korea”, and promised: “Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today. This situation will be handled!”

In remarks later on Wednesday at a public event in Missouri, Trump departed from a speech about tax cuts to aim a barb at the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, who he has previously referred to as “Little Rocket Man”. “Little Rocket Man, he is a sick puppy,” the president said.

Later Wednesday, at the UN, Haley said if war comes as a result of further acts of “aggression” like the latest launch “make no mistake the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed”.

Haley says the Trump administration warned North Korea that its future is in the hands of its leaders and the choice was theirs. With Tuesday’s launch, she said, Kim’s regime made a choice “and with this choice comes a critical choice for the rest of the world”.

She called on all countries to cut all ties to North Korea.

The security council was meeting in New York to discuss possible new measures, and the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, made clear that the US would press for tougher measures allowing North Korean shipping to be stopped and searched on the high seas.

A White House statement about the phone conversation said Trump made clear “the determination of the United States to defend ourselves and our allies”.

Trump also apparently “emphasized the need for China to use all available levers to convince North Korea to end its provocations and return to the path of denuclearization”.

After two and a half months of relative quiet, North Korea said it successfully fired a “significantly more” powerful, nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile early Wednesday. Outside governments and analysts concurred it had marked a jump in capability.

The ICBM launched early on Wednesday morning was described as the Hwasong-15, with the capability to carry a nuclear warhead and with “significantly more” power than missiles it’s tested earlier. The missile rose more than 4,000km into space in an almost vertical trajectory and splashed down off the west coast of Japan about 1,000km from where it was fired, reportedly from a mobile launcher. Independent analysts said that with a more normal, flatter trajectory the missile could travel up to 13,000km, putting all of the US mainland in range, though it was unclear how much that reach would be reduced if the missile was carrying a nuclear warhead.

Most observers doubted that another set of UN sanctions would stop the North Korean missile and nuclear programmes, but predicted that once the regime felt it had perfected its weapons, it might be ready to talk.

“This confirms that North Korea is hell-bent on advancing their nuclear and missile programmes they believe are essential to their survival,” said Mintaro Oba, a former state department official. “It looks like they advanced their technology with this launch but there are still questions about re-entry capability for example.”

“Even if there are major new sanctions, it will only increase the North Koreans’ resolve to show they are not affected. They will continue to test and increase their capabilities. They want to get to the point of us accepting they have this nuclear weapons programme,” Oba said. “It’s a poker game that North Korea seems to be winning.”

China’s foreign ministry said Beijing was “seriously concerned about and opposed to” North Korea’s latest missile test.

Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Wednesday that China “strongly urges” the North to abide by security council resolutions and cease actions that might escalate tensions.

Geng told reporters at a daily news briefing that all concerned parties should “act with caution and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability”.

China is North Korea’s only significant ally and biggest source of trade and aid, but has backed increasingly harsh UN security council resolutions in hopes of convincing Pyongyang to return to talks.

It has called on the North to cease its missile tests and nuclear activities in return for the US and South Korea suspending large-scale military exercises.

However, Beijing has rejected measures that could destabilize Kim’s regime and says military force is cannot be an option in dealing with the tensions.

South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, spoke to Japan’s prime minister, Shinzō Abe, about North Korea’s test and pledged joint efforts to strengthen sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear ambitions.

Moon’s office said the leaders agreed during the phone conversation on Wednesday that the threat posed by North Korea’s expanding nuclear programme should no longer be tolerated and vowed to push for stronger measures against the North at an upcoming UN security council meeting.

North Korea’s state media say Kim ordered his engineers to launch a new intercontinental ballistic missile with “courage” a day ahead of the flight test where it demonstrated its reach deep into the US mainland.

State television on Wednesday broadcast a photo of Kim’s signed order, where he wrote: “Test launch is approved. Taking place at the daybreak of Nov 29! Fire with courage for the party and country!”

The North says Kim gave the order for the launch on Tuesday.