US Department of Defense Headquarters. File photoWASHINGTON, Jan 30In light of North Korea's latest missile launches, the United States is ready to sit down at the negotiating table with Pyongyang without preconditions, while building up its military potential in the region to protect itself and its allies, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. «We must make sure our allies on the Korean Peninsula are strong «We remain committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, as well as negotiations with Pyongyang. We are ready to sit down at the negotiating table without preconditions,» Kirby said on Fox News.
The maximum speed of the DPRK missile was 16 times the speed of sound. However, a US defense official added that Washington, along with diplomacy, is seeking to ensure its «full military readiness» in the region in response to the threat of continued missile launches from the DPRK. The South Korean military on Sunday reported that the DPRK launched one allegedly ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan from the area of the North Korean province of Chagangdo. The flight range was approximately 800 kilometers, the highest flight altitude was two thousand kilometers. South Korean President Moon Jae-in noted that such a launch could be seen as Pyongyang is close to lifting the moratorium on launching intercontinental ballistic missiles and conducting nuclear tests, which it has voluntarily adhered to since the end of 2017. Earlier in January, Kim Jong-un ordered For Washington's hostile policy, reconsider Pyongyang's «self-initiated» confidence-building measures with the United States and consider resuming «all temporarily suspended activities.» » /> North Korea launched its seventh ballistic missile towards Japan since the beginning of the year
