North Korea missile launch a concern for U.S.

North Korea’s ballistic missile tests this week were not the complete failure Pentagon officials initially believed, with one missile traveling 200 miles before crashing into the Sea of Japan, reigniting concerns Pyongyang is inching closer to possessing a long-range nuclear weapon.

Initial reports from U.S. Strategic Command indicated two test shots of North Korea’s Musudan intercontinental ballistic missile Tuesday afternoon failed over the Sea of Japan, according to a command statement, the latest in a string of such test failures.

Fired from Wonsan Missile Base in Kangwon Province, 160 miles east of Pyongyang, the two test shots had failed and “determined the missile launches from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America,” according to the U.S. statement.

However, subsequent news reports showed the second of the two Musudan missiles did travel over 250 miles before crashing into the Sea of Japan. It was the first successful launch of the weapon by North Korean forces.

With an anticipated range of between 1,800 to 2,500 miles, a fully functional Musudan would be able to deliver a nuclear warhead on targets in Japan and as far as Guam, a major military hub for U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific region.

While Tuesday’s test shot fell well short of that maximum range, the partial success indicates Pyongyang is making progress in its fledgling ballistic missile program — in defiance of the U.S. and all of the major countries in the region.

The Musudan test demonstrated a “certain level of capability,” which could result in a viable North Korean nuclear threat against Japan and its regional allies, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told The Associated Press.

The Musudan tests were the first conducted by North Korea this year and were the fifth and sixth launches of the weapon since its development.

State Department spokesman John Kirby slammed the missile tests, saying the recent launches “only serve to increase the international community’s resolve to counter [North Korea’s] prohibited activities.”

Washington reserves the right to respond unilaterally, Mr. Kirby told reporters on Wednesday, but said that U.S. officials are coordinating closely with other countries at the U.N. “to hold [North Korea] accountable for these provocative actions.”

Pyongyang’s continued development of nuclear weapons in the face of international sanctions poses the most serious threat to U.S. and allied forces in the Asia-Pacific, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said Monday, even more dangerous than China’s recent aggression in the South China Sea.

“China is a competitor North Korea is a [definite] threat,” the four-star admiral told the Center for a New American Security’s annual symposium in Washington.

In April, North Korea claimed to have successfully tested a medium-range ballistic missile capable of hitting Seoul as well as other allied countries in the region.

Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis dismissed the claims, telling reporters at the time that Defense Department officials had yet to see any conclusive proof that Pyongyang possessed any medium-range nuclear weapons in its arsenal.

• Guy Taylor contributed to this report.