The United States on Wednesday condemned North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile earlier this week and reiterated its calls for the recalcitrant regime to stop further “unlawful” and “destabilizing” acts.
During a press briefing, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh criticized the North’s launch on Monday (Korea time) of what it claimed to be a new intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead.
“We condemn these actions and we would continue to urge the DPRK (to refrain) from further unlawful, destabilizing acts,” Singh said. DPRK is short for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“While we don’t assess that it presents a threat to U.S. forces, we are going to continue to monitor the situation,” she added.
The North’s latest launch marked its first provocation this year ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
