North Korea Fires Missile, Moon Convenes Security Council

This is developing…

• SOUTH KOREA’S MOON CONVENES NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: YONHAP
• N.KOREA LAUNCH NOT CONSISTENT WITH BALLISTIC MISSILE: PACOM
• NORTH KOREAN PROJECTILE FLEW 700 KM: SOUTH KOREAN MILITARY
• N. KOREA FIRES AN UNIDENTIFIED PROJECTILE THIS MORNING: YONHAP
• NORTH KOREA FIRES AN UNIDENTIFIED PROJECTILE THIS MORNING: JCS

Early on, a South Korean military official said “the nature of the projectile [was] not immediately clear.”

“The type of missile fired by North Korea Sunday is being assessed and the flight was not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile,” Major Rob Shuford, of the U.S. Pacific Command, said in a statement, adding that “U.S. Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security.”

And here’s a bit more via Bloomberg:

Missile launched by North Korea flew about 800km and landed in the Japan Sea, probably outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Yoshihide Suga, Japan chief cabinet secretary, tells reporters in Tokyo after North Korea fired missile early Sunday morning. * No damage reported to planes or ships * Japan has strongly protested against North Korea using embassy route in Beijing * Govt will remain in contact with U.S. and South Korea; no phone conference planned with U.S. and South Korean presidents at this point * Missile flew for 30 mins; conducting analysis including on that point *

To be sure, this has become comically absurd.

Between Donald Trump calling Kim a “smart cookie” and suggesting he’d be “honored” to meet Pyongyang’s boy king, to Choe Sun-hui, director general for North American affairs at North Korea’s foreign ministry, telling reporters in Beijing on Saturday that the regime would meet with Trump under the “right conditions” just as Kim accuses the CIA of trying to assassinate him, the whole thing is completely surreal.

Of course that’s exactly what one should expect considering the temperament and mental stability of the heads of state involved.

3 US officials have confirmed that the launch occurred around 6:30 a.m. Seoul time Sunday (5:30 p.m. ET Saturday). Trump has been briefed and an assessment is ongoing.

BREAKING: North Korea fires off unidentified projectile near its west coast, South Korean military says – Reuters https://t.co/JjJvDKdQqJ

— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) May 13, 2017

South Korean military official says North Korea has fired what appears to be a ballistic missile from a region near its west coast

— Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) May 13, 2017