{"id":33951,"date":"2017-09-08T14:19:44","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T14:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/09\/08\/south-korea-braces-for-another-possible-north-korea-missile-test\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:55:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:55:23","slug":"south-korea-braces-for-another-possible-north-korea-missile-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2017\/09\/08\/south-korea-braces-for-another-possible-north-korea-missile-test\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea braces for another possible North Korea missile test"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SEOUL, South Korea \u2014 South Korea is closely watching North Korea over the possibility it may launch another intercontinental ballistic missile as soon as Saturday when it celebrates its founding anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seoul\u2019s Unification Ministry spokeswoman Eugene Lee said Friday that Pyongyang could potentially conduct its next ICBM tests this weekend or around Oct. 10, another North Korean holiday marking the founding of its ruling party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Korea has previously marked key dates with displays of military power, but now its tests appear to be driven by the need to improve missile capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The North is just coming off its sixth and the most powerful nuclear test to date on Sunday in what it claimed was a detonation of a thermonuclear weapon built for its ICBMs. The country tested its developmental Hwasong-14 ICBMs twice in July and analysts say the flight data from the launches indicate the missiles could cover a broad swath of the continental United States, including major cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago, when perfected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Korea fired the ICBMs at highly lofted angles in July to reduce ranges and avoid other countries. But South Korean officials say the next launches could be conducted at angles close to operational as the North would seek to test whether the warheads survive the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry and detonate properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Washington, President Donald Trump reiterated Thursday that military action is \u201ccertainly\u201d an option against North Korea, as his administration tentatively concurred with the pariah nation\u2019s claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb. A senior administration official said the U.S. was still assessing last weekend\u2019s underground explosion but so far noted nothing inconsistent with Pyongyang\u2019s claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMilitary action would certainly be an option,\u201d Trump told a White House news conference. \u201cI would prefer not going the route of the military, but it\u2019s something certainly that could happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pressed on whether he could accept a scenario in which the isolated nation had nukes but was \u201ccontained and deterred,\u201d Trump demurred. \u201cI don\u2019t put my negotiations on the table, unlike past administrations. I don\u2019t talk about them. But I can tell you North Korea is behaving badly and it\u2019s got to stop,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Korea broke from its pattern of lofted launches last month when it fired a powerful new intermediate range missile, the Hwasong-12, over northern Japan. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un then called the launch a \u201cmeaningful prelude\u201d to containing the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam and called for his military to conduct more ballistic missile launches targeting the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Sweden urged its citizens Friday to refrain from unnecessary trips to North Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\t