Ankara condemns North Korean missile test as ‘threat to global security’

ANKARA/SEOUL

REUTERS photo

Ankara has condemned the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea, while labeling the launches as “a threat to regional and international security and stability.”

“We condemn the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea on June 22,” the Foreign Ministry of Turkey said in a written statement released late on June 23.

“The launches violate North Korea’s international obligations and constitute a threat to regional and international security and stability,” said Ankara.

“We once again urge North Korea to comply with its international obligations under relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and thus cease activities related to ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction,” the Foreign Ministry said.

A Seoul-based U.S. think tank, meanwhile, said on June 24 that North Korea’s test of a new medium-range missile could help the nuclear-armed state develop an operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the United States mainland by 2020.

The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said the June 22 test of a so-called Musudan missile was a “partial success” that demonstrated the full performance of the weapon’s propulsion system, and “at least a minimally functional” guidance system.

The Musudan has a theoretical range of anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometers, with the upper estimate covering U.S. military bases as far away as Guam.

After a string of four failed launches in previous months, North Korea tested two Musudans just hours apart on June 22.

The first was seen as a failure, but the second was hailed by leader Kim Jong-un as a complete success and proof of the North’s ability to strike U.S. bases across the Pacific.

The second missile was fired at an unusually elevated angle to attain a maximum height of between 1,000 and 1,500 kilometers – restricting its horizontal range to just 400 kilometers.