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N. Korea crisis in ‘dangerous new phase’
Sablan
With North Korea recently firing a new type of ballistic missile into the waters off Japan, both the CNMI governor and CNMI delegate assured that there is no reason for alarm, despite the crisis being referred to as entering a “dangerous new phase.”
Both Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) told Saipan Tribune that there is neither cause for concern nor alarm with the North Korean test.
Sablan, however, believes the North Korean crisis has reached “a dangerous new phase.”
Citing a report from CNN, Sablan said that North Korea successfully tested its most powerful missile yet, “one that could potentially hit targets ‘everywhere in the world,’” quoting U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
“While I still think that North Korea is very calculating with it moves, just enough to irritate but not enough to justify a response from the United States, this escalation serves nobody’s purpose,” said Sablan.
The missile, coined as Hwasong-15 by the country’s state-run media, reached the highest altitude ever for a North Korean missile at 2,800 miles in the sky and being airborne a little less than an hour before landing in Japanese waters a little over 130 miles west of the Aomori Prefecture, CNN reported.
In a statement last Wednesday, Torres remains confident that the Trump administration and the U.S. military “will continue to do what it can and must to protect our safety and security.”
He added that his office received “official notification” that no imminent threat exists for both Guam and the CNMI.
“…We have been receiving the latest information from Guam about the recent events,” Torres said. “I will remain in close contact with our military officials, the federal government, and our local emergency first responders.”
