North Korea fires 'possible' solid fuel missile
North Korea appears to have fired a new type of ballistic missile on Thursday, "possibly solid fuel", South Korea's military said, a technology that has long been a goal for Kim Jong Un's banned weapons programs. "North Korea appears to have fired a new type of ballistic missile, possibly using solid fuel," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP. Pyongyang's ballistic missile launch into the Sea of Japan prompted Tokyo to issue a warning to residents of the northern Hokkaido region telling them to take shelter. Japan also confirmed the launch, telling residents of Hokkaido to "evacuate immediately" and seek shelter in a building or underground, warning the missile was expected to land around 8:00 am local time (2300 GMT). Local government officials in Hokkaido later said there was "no possibility" of the missile hitting the island. Pyongyang has opened the year with a flurry of weapons tests, including what its state media has claimed are nuclear-capable underwater drones and the launch of two intercontinental ballistic missiles. North Korea has claimed to have conducted three tests of underwater drones – known as Haeil, which means tsunami in Korean – in less than three weeks so far. Pyongyang has claimed the weapon is able to unleash a "radioactive tsunami."  The United States "strongly" condemned Thursday's ballistic missile launch, and accused Pyongyang of inflaming regional tensions. "The President (Joe Biden) and his national security team are assessing the situation in close coordination with our allies," US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement, adding the launch was "a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and ... risks destabilizing the security situation in the region." While "the door has not closed on diplomacy," Watson said, "the United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and Republic of Korea and Japanese allies." (AFP)