08 March 2017

News Story: Trump, Abe say North Korea threat 'entered a new stage'

US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned Monday that the threat from North Korea had "entered a new stage," following another defiant missile test.

The two leaders spoke by telephone after North Korea fired off four ballistic missiles, in what Pyongyang provocatively called a training exercise for a strike on US bases in Japan.

"Japan and the United States confirmed" the launches violated UN Security Council resolutions and presented a "clear challenge to the region and international community," Abe told reporters in Tokyo.

They also agreed that "the threat has entered a new stage," Abe said.

The missiles traveled about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) and three of them landed in waters close to Japan that are part of its exclusive economic zone.

North Korean weapons programs are rapidly proving to be the most prominent foreign policy question facing Trump's young White House.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily