美国国家公共电台 NPR North Korea Fires Another Missile Over Japan

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MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

In Japan, people in the northern region of Hokkaido woke up to sirens and instructions to take cover.

(SOUNDBITE OF SIRENS)

KELLY: This after North Korea again fired a ballistic missile which, again, flew over Japan. And this comes just days after the United Nations slapped another set of sanctions on North Korea. NPR's Elise Hu is tracking all of this from Seoul, South Korea.

Hi there, Elise.

ELISE HU, BYLINE¹: Good morning.

KELLY: Hi.

So give us the details. What do we know about this test today?

HU: This missile fired is believed to be the same type that was launched over Japan on August 29. But this time, it went a farther distance, about 2,200 miles, before landing in the ocean off Hokkaido's east coast. And that's important because it can send a message that if the direction of this missile were different and it was aimed at, say, Guam, then this type of missile could reach that U.S. territory, which North Korea, as you know, has threatened before.

KELLY: Indeed. So we heard the sirens there. How else is Japan reacting to the latest test?

HU: It also sent out text alerts to all cellphones in the 12-prefecture region that was affected², of course. It also interrupted radio and television broadcasts there because the Japanese government was concerned about falling debris³. Ultimately, officials say there was no debris reported and that the Japanese people were not in danger. But the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is very upset. He's calling for international unity⁴ in getting more pressure to be applied⁵ on North Korea.

But that's really kind of all Japan can do at the moment. And the same goes for South Korea, where I'm at, because the core security issue is between the U.S. and North Korea. And both sides so far, in general, are continuing on the same path as before, which is this cycle we've been in of provocation⁶, then condemnation⁷, then isolation⁸ before the cycle starts back over again.

KELLY: Well, that's right. I mean, it does seem as though almost every week or so, at this point, there is some new test, some new provocation going on. Any sense of what might break the cycle?

HU: Well, if you speak with the proponents⁹ of isolation through sanctions, then the argument goes that if North Korea does feel sufficient pressure from these economic sanctions, that eventually, at some point, it will cry uncle and then want to return to the table for talks. There have been something like eight rounds of sanctions since 2006. And North Korea, up to this point, has only improved its nuclear capability¹⁰ and its testing in that time.

The other approach is to consider dialogue or direct talks. But even South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, who was elected on a promise of more engagement with North Korea, is now saying that it's not time for dialogue. And North Korea, for its part, has shown no indication of willingness to return to talks from its side either unless there is major concessions¹¹.

KELLY: They certainly haven't. I mean, this is - what? - like the 15th North Korean missile test this year?

HU: Yes. And this is on pace with the tests of last year. So...

KELLY: Despite all of these new round of sanctions - I mean, it's clearly not working, what's being done so far.

HU: (Laughter) Until they do, is what the proponents of sanctions say. So (laughter) we'll see what happens. But, you know, one thing to remember, of course, is that North Korea really believes this is a deterrent¹² for them, that these tests are defensive¹³ against what they see as a hostile U.S. And so it will be hard to get North Korea to give up its program.

KELLY: That's NPR's Elise Hu tracking this from Seoul.

Elise, thank you.

HU: You bet.