Washington: N. Korean missile halted West Coast docks operations
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The US Federal Aviation Administration is halting some air operations on the West Coast while North Korea is testing a new ballistic missile.
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The US Federal Aviation Administration has halted some West Coast operations.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Tuesday that it briefly halted departures at some West Coast airports on Monday, as North Korea reportedly launched a ballistic missile.
The FAA paused some West Coast operations for less than 15 minutes "due to initial reports of events in the Indo-Pacific region," a US official told Reuters, without directly tying it to the missile launch.
The FAA added Tuesday it “regularly takes precautionary measures. We are reviewing the process around this ground stop as we do after all such events.”
US condemns N. Korea's presumed launch
The United States condemned North Korea's launching of a suspected ballistic missile as claimed by South Korea and calls on Pyongyang to hold talks.
"This launch is in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and poses a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and the international community," a State Department spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also said the US is committed to defending both South Korea and Japan. To this end, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are already set to meet virtually Thursday for regular security talks with their Japanese counterparts.
North Korean hypersonic missile hits target
According to state news agency KCNA, North Korea successfully tested a hypersonic missile this week, as the country seeks new military capabilities amid stalled denuclearisation talks.
In September, North Korea conducted the first hypersonic missile test, joining a race led by major military powers, chiefly among them the US, to deploy the advanced weapons system.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
