North Korea Launches More Missiles

SEOUL, South Korea, May 26, 2009 — -- North Korea launched tests of two more short-range missiles Tuesday, one day after conducting a nuclear test that drew condemnation from the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.

The flurry of North Korean activity is testing the international community and especially President Obama, who has pledged to more aggressively pursue diplomatic solutions for global challenges.

North Korea's actions "are very provocative and destabilizing series of actions," and "they pose a clear threat to international peace and security," Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said today on ABC's "Good Morning America"

And Rice said North Korea's attempt to provoke the world is failing.

"The message we are sending back is that the international community will not be intimidatedand the pressure on North Korea will only increase if they continue on this course," she told "GMA."

According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, which cited an unnamed government source, two missiles -- one ground-to-air, the other ground-to-ship -- with a range of about 80 miles were test fired from an east coast launch pad today. Yonhap also reported North Korea was preparing to launch a third missile from a west coast site, again citing an unnamed government source.

Monday night, senior administration officials sat in the White House's Situation Room, debating late into the night about what steps the United States should take now.

Today's tests were also swiftly condemned by the international community. South Korea announced today that it would join a U.S.-led naval exercise, aimed at intercepting any shipments suspected of carrying material that could be used in the making of weapons of mass destruction. The decision marks the end of a long debate in the south, which had earlier avoided joining the exercise out of fear that it would anger Pyongyang. North Korea has said in the past that such a decision would amount to a "declaration of war."

In Japan, the parliament unanimously condemned the test in a resolution, saying it violated U.N. resolutions and the 2002 Pyongyang Declarations signed by Japan and North Korea. The non-binding resolution demanded that the Japanese government take a firmer stance against North Korea, suggesting tighter economic sanctions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu today repeated an earlier ministry statement from yesterday saying that Beijing "resolutely opposed" the nuclear test. Chinese and South Korean defense chiefs met today to discuss North Korea's recent actions.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also expressed his regret at the tests during a news conference today in Helsinki. "The only viable option at this time for North Korea to remain as a responsible member of the international community is to return to the dialogue table," he said.

Yesterday, Obama responded with strong words to North Korea's announcement of its earlier nuclear test and its decision to attempt a series of short-range missile launches.

Will Sanctions Follow Missile Launches?

"North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs pose a grave threat to the peace and security of the world and I strongly condemn their reckless action," the president said in a statement in the White House Rose Garden. "North Korea will not find security and respect through threats and illegal weapons.

"We will work with our friends and allies to stand up to this behavior," the president said, pledging to "never waver" from the commitment to protect the American people.

But U.S. officials said a push for sanctions against North Korea will depend on the willingness of China and Russia, which hold Security Council vetos.

A senior State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also said that yesterday, North Korea gave the U.S. an advance warning of less than an hour that it would detonate a nuclear device.

Analysts in Seoul say the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, is trying to mark his country's presence as a full nuclear power.

"North Korea is making a very clear statement that we are a nuclear state. Now deal with us, as such," said Lee Jung-Hoon, professor of international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul. "It's a wake-up call to the international community that we shouldn't pretend as if somehow North Korea would negotiate dismantlement."

More Missile Launches in the Works?

Although it was expected, the timing of these tests came as a surprise. U.S. officials said last week that they were monitoring activity at the nuclear test site but said it was difficult to determine whether a test was imminent, given that a lot of that work was underground. Officials also detected activity at the nearby Musudan-Ri, where the long-range Daepodong 2 missile was launched April 5.

"You can tell that Kim Jong Il seriously feels that there's not much time left. He'll use whatever means he could to increase the bet," said Choi Jinwook, senior researcher at Korea Institute for National Unification.

"North Korea is a bully. If you concede, it will continue to push, and it's pushing and pushing to the point where now, we can't almost go back," said Lee, implying that a harder stance on North Korea is needed to get it to give up the nuclear program. "It's going to be a huge headache, not only for the U.S., but also for the international community as a whole."

ABC News' Jake Tapper, Luis Martinez and Noriko Namiki contributed to this story, as did The Associated Press and Reuters.