US condemns North Korea missile launch as 'threat' to international community

The State Department said point-blank that this second test in less than a week was of a ballistic missile, not a suspected one as South Korea described it.

The United States Tuesday condemned North Korea's latest missile launch as a threat to the international community, and reaffirmed its commitment to defend both South Korea and Japan.

People walk past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on January 11, 2022, after North Korea fired a "suspected ballistic missile" into the sea,  (AFP)

The State Department said point-blank that this second test in less than a week was of a ballistic missile, not a suspected one as South Korea described it.

"This launch is in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and poses a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and the international community," the department said, using the abbreviation of North Korea's official name