WASHINGTON: The United States slammed North Korea s latest missile test as a provocation and insisted Sunday it is working closely with China to resolve a crisis that Washington sees as reaching a critical stage.
Amid broader fears that North Korea may again test a nuclear bomb, the Pentagon said Sunday s missile launch was a failure, with the weapon blowing up almost immediately after its early morning takeoff near Sinpo on North Korea s east coast.
Amid sharply heightened tensions, McMaster said the US and allies were studying all actions “short of a military option,” though the Trump administration has not ruled that out.
North Korea watchers remained on high alert, as leader Kim Jong-un was reportedly poised to conduct a sixth nuclear test.
Vice President Mike Pence, who arrived in Seoul on Sunday, assailed the missile test as a “provocation” and assured South Korea of Washington s full support against the threat from its volatile neighbor.
Pence is in Seoul for talks on curbing the North s weapons programs.
“This morning s provocation from the North is just the latest reminder of the risks each one of you face each and every day in the defense of the freedom of the people of South Korea and the defense of America in this part of the world,” Pence told US military families at an Easter dinner, at the start of a 10-day Asia tour.
Some 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea.
President Donald Trump has ordered a naval strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, to the region, though the vessels remain a long way from the peninsula.
McMaster repeatedly stated that China — North Korea s key ally — is increasingly concerned about the reclusive communist state s behavior.
The new consensus is “that this problem is coming to a head. And so it s time for us to undertake all actions we can, short of a military option, to try to resolve this peacefully,” McMaster said.
Trump turned to Twitter to underscore the importance of cooperation with China on North Korea.
Having blasted Beijing throughout his presidential campaign for unfairly manipulating its currency, he tweeted Sunday: “Why would I call China a currency manipulator when they are working with us on the North Korean problem? We will see what happens!”