White House Calls Kim Jong Un For 'Serious Negotiations' After North Korea Fires Missile Threatening US: 'The Door Has Not Closed...'

The White House on Wednesday called for diplomacy with North Korea after Kim Jong Un fired an intercontinental ballistic missile after threatening the U.S. to shoot spy planes. 

What Happened: The US National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge condemned North Korea's missile test and called it "a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region."

Hodge also urged other countries to condemn the violation and call on Kim to "come to the table for serious negotiations."

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"The door has not closed on diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilizing actions and instead choose diplomatic engagement. The United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and Republic of Korea and Japanese allies."

Meanwhile, North Korea revealed that the missile it fired on Wednesday, which flew for more than 70 minutes, was a Hwasong-18. The Wednesday launch, which landed in waters near Japan, occurred after Pyongyang had previously threatened to shoot down US military reconnaissance aircraft engaged in what they considered “hostile espionage” near its territory.

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North Korea's Hwasong-18, a solid-fuel weapon known for being more challenging to detect and intercept compared to North Korea’s liquid-fuel ICBMs, has been referred to by Kim Jong Un as his most potent nuclear weapon.

However, there is no evidence to suggest that the missile is capable of effectively delivering a nuclear payload. Experts believe that the Hwasong-18 could enable North Korea to conduct long-range nuclear attacks with greater speed and ease as it intensifies its missile development plans.

Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock.com

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