South Korea keeps eye on North after new year message

Record ID: 162946

  • Title: South Korea keeps eye on North after new year message
  • Date: 2nd January 2017
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF SOUTH KOREAN DEFENCE MINISTRY SOUTH KOREAN NATIONAL FLAG AND DEFENCE MINISTRY FLAG FLYING
  • Embargoed: 17th January 2017 04:34
  • Keywords: Seoul Kim Jong Un Pyongyang ICBM missile nuclear
  • Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / PYONGYANG, UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION AND YONGBYON, NORTH KOREA
  • City: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / PYONGYANG, UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION AND YONGBYON, NORTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA0025XE0HTX
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: AUDIO QUALITY AS INCOMING
    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS EDITED KRT MATERIAL
    South Korea said on Monday (January 2) that it was keeping an eye on the North after a New Year speech by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un showed a "willingness to continue nuclear provocations".
    Kim on Sunday (January 1) said that the isolated, nuclear-capable country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
    "It is hard to predict a specific date, but we're closely tracking and monitoring for a possible strategic provocation by North Korea," said South Korea's Chief of Public Affairs in Joint Chief of Staff (JCS), Roh Jae-Cheon on Monday.
    North Korea tested ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate during 2016, although some experts have said it is years away from developing an ICBM fitted with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the United States.
    The country has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The sanctions were tightened last month after Pyongyang conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 9.
    A successful ICBM test launch would mark a significant step forward for secretive Pyongyang's weapons capability. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 5,500 km (3,418 miles), but some are designed to travel 10,000 km (6,214 miles) or further. California is roughly 9,000 km (5,592 miles) from North Korea.
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