North Korea Test Fires Mid-Range Missile Amid Growing Tensions
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WASHINGTON (CBSMiami/AP) — Tensions are mounting on the Korean peninsula Sunday morning after a mid-range missile launch by the North.
The rocket was fired from an area near the North Korean county of Pukchang, in South Phyongan Province, and flew eastward about 310 miles, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It did not immediately provide more details.
White House officials traveling in Saudi Arabia with President Donald Trump said the system, which was last tested in February, has a shorter range than the missiles launched in North Korea's most recent tests.
U.S. Pacific Command said it tracked the missile until it landed into the sea.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the country's military "is closely monitoring the North Korean military for any further provocation and maintaining readiness to respond."
The latest launch comes a week after North Korea successfully tested a new mid-range missile that experts say could one day be capable of reaching Alaska or Hawaii.
The launch appears to be the latest weapons test for a country speeding up its nuclear weapons and missile development.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
