U.S.: North Korea Missile Test 'Highly Provocative Act'

Religion Today | Updated: Dec 12, 2012

U.S.: North Korea Missile Test 'Highly Provocative Act'

The White House called a long-range missile test by North Korea a "highly provocative act" that threatens regional security, CBN News reports. On Tuesday, North Korea announced the successful test of the Eunha-3 long-range rocket, which traveled directly over Okinawa before falling 180 miles north of the Philippines. The regime said it fired the missile to test technology to put a satellite in orbit, but the U.S. believes it's a cover to test missile technology. With further development, such a weapon could one day carry a nuclear warhead and potentially reach as far as California. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told CNN he was "very confident" that if North Korea were to launch a missile at the United States, the U.S. military could guard against it. However, Victor Cha of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said North Korea "could sell this technology to others, including Iran and Pakistan, who have been regular customers of North Korea's other missiles. They still have other technological thresholds to cross, but this was undeniably a major one." Iran on Wednesday praised North Korea's move.



U.S.: North Korea Missile Test 'Highly Provocative Act'