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Reports: North Korea Fires Missile From Pyongyang

by VOA News

   North Korea has reportedly fired another missile over Japan.

   Both the South Korean military and Japan say an "unidentified" missile
   was launched from near Pyongyang early Friday. It flew over Japan's
   Hokkaido Island before dropping into the Pacific.

   Japan immediately condemned the launch and protested to North Korea
   with the "strongest words possible." Tokyo's top spokesman said, "Japan
   can never tolerate this repeated provocative action by North Korea."

   U.S. official are still looking at the launch and have yet to comment.

   The reported launch comes just days after the U.N. Security Council
   imposed some of the harshest sanctions so far against North Korea for
   its nuclear tests and its refusal to stop test-firing missiles.

   The North has threatened that the U.S. would pay a heavy price for the
   sanctions.

   While the United States has not totally ruled out negotiations on
   Pyongyang, President Donald Trump says a strong military response is on
   the table if North Korea threatens the U.S. or its allies.

   Trump has been leaning on China, North Korea's chief ally, to pressure
   the rogue nation to give up its nuclear program.

   Trump told reporters Thursday, before the latest missile launch, that
   the U.S. and China are working "on different things." He gave no other
   information but said the American people will be "very, very safe."

   North Korea said it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb earlier this
   month. This would be its most powerful weapon to date and a dangerous
   escalation of tensions in the Pacific.

   While the U.S. has so far not confirmed this was a hydrogen test, it
   has said it has no reason to believe otherwise.

   This is a breaking story; please check back for updates.