BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The firing of a mid-range ballistic missile on Friday by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), though failed, marks the latest in a string of sabre-rattling that, if unchecked, will lead the country to nowhere.
The BM-25 missile, also known as Musudan with a range of 3,000 km, is able to reach the U.S. territory of Guam in the Pacific, according to the South Korean new agency Yonhap. Although Pyongyang has not confirmed the firing, the timing, selected on the birthday of late DPRK top leader Kim Il Sung, is widely believed to manifest its intrepidity against the ongoing U.S.-South Korea military drills and the latest sanctions brought by the UN Security Council resolution last month.
Solely within 100 days, the DPRK have conducted a nuclear test and a satellite launching, which was widely taken as a disguised ballistic missile test.
Pyongyang's interpretation of the resolution as a sign of animosity is injudicious. Largely wrought by an alarming lacking of trust between the DPRK and the United States, its nuclear show of force has blatantly breached the UN resolution and betrayed the global aspiration to achieve denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula through talks.
Besides, the pertinacious show of force proved counterproductive for Pyongyang's sake.
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