US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ruled out any talks with North Korea, which fired a ballistic missile on Tuesday that flew over Japan, forcing people to seek shelter.
The missile flew over Hokkaido island before crashing into the northern Pacific Ocean. This is the first time North Korea has fired what is thought to be a ballistic weapon over Japan.
“The US has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer!” Mr Trump tweeted.
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has promised more missile flights over Japan, insisting his nuclear-armed nation’s provocative launch was a mere “curtain-raiser”, in the face of UN condemnation and US warnings of severe repercussions.
The UN Security Council — which has already imposed seven sets of sanctions on Pyongyang — said in a unanimous statement the North’s “outrageous” actions “are not just a threat to the region, but to all UN member states”.
Both the North’s key allies China and Russia, which also has ties to it, backed the US-drafted declaration.
