North Korea has test-fired another missile — just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged United Nations members to put new pressure on the country.
The launch happened just after 5:30 a.m. local time Saturday near an airfield in the western part of the country, according to U.S. Pacific Command. It said the missile didn't leave North Korean territory. Various outlets, citing unnamed sources, said the missile exploded over land.
Shortly before, Tillerson called on U.N. members to downgrade or halt their diplomatic relations with North Korea and to impose new sanctions.
"The policy of strategic patience is over. Additional patience will only mean acceptance of a nuclear North Korea," Tillerson said. "We must work together to adopt a new approach and impose increased diplomatic and economic pressures on the North Korean regime."
But in what appeared to be a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Tillerson said the U.S. isn't looking for "regime change" or to "threaten the North Korean people."
"Over the years, we have withdrawn our own nuclear weapons from South Korea and offered aid to North Korea as proof of our intent to de-escalate the situation and normalize relations," Tillerson said.
President Donald Trump made similar comments in an interview Thursday with Reuters, but added: "There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely."
