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South Korea's military says it fired warning shots at a suspected drone on Tuesday from North Korea amid tension over Pyongyang's latest missile test which drew international condemnation and a warning from China.
Key points:
- More than 90 shots reportedly fired at suspected drone
- Tensions high after the North tested two missiles in a week
- North lauds its capabilities and vows to mass-produce missiles
The identity of the object remained unclear, the military said, but Yonhap news agency said it was possibly a drone, that more than 90 shots were fired in return before it disappeared from radar screens.
Tensions were already high on the Korean peninsula after the North's test-launch of a ballistic missile test on Sunday which Pyongyang said proved advances in its pursuit of building a nuclear-tipped weapon that could hit US targets.
The United States has been trying to persuade China, North Korea's lone major ally, to do more to rein in North Korea, which has conducted dozens of missile launches and tested two nuclear bombs since the start of last year, in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions and resolutions.
North Korea has made no secret of its plans to develop a missile capable of striking the United States and has ignored calls to halt its weapons programs, even from China. It says the program is necessary to counter US aggression.
"We urge North Korea to not do anything to again violate UN Security Council resolutions," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry's website on Tuesday.
"At the same time, we hope all parties can maintain restraint, not be influenced by every single incident … persist in carrying out Security Council resolutions on North Korea and persevere with the resolution of the issue through peaceful means, dialogue and consultation."
The North's official KCNA news agency, citing the spokesman for the foreign ministry, said the country had "substantially displayed" the capabilities for mounting a nuclear attack on Hawaii and Alaska and had built full capabilities for attacking the US mainland.
US and South Korean officials and experts believe the North is several years away from having such a capability.
North Korea said on Monday that Sunday's launch met all technical requirements that could allow mass-production of the missile, which it calls the Pukguksong-2.
It was North Korea's second launch in a week and South Korea's new liberal Government said it dashed its hopes for peace on the peninsula.
The UN Security Council condemned the launch and again expressed its concern over the North's behaviour.
Reuters
Topics: world-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, korea-democratic-people-s-republic-of, korea-republic-of, united-states, asia, pacific