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1st Ld-Writethru: Trump vows to deal with DPRK "very strongly" after Pyongyang's missile launch

Xinhua, February 14, 2017 Adjust font size:

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to deal with Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "very strongly", calling the Asian country a "big, big problem."

Trump made the remark at a joint press conference with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, after the DPRK test-fired its ballistic missile on Sunday. But the U.S. president did not elaborate on what actions he planned to take in relation to the DPRK.

"We have problems all over the Middle East. We have problems just about every corner of the globe no matter where you look," Trump said when asked about the most important national security issues facing the United States.

On Monday, the Pentagon strongly condemned the DPRK's ballistic missile launch and vowed to "take all necessary measures to deter and defeat threats to U.S. and ally territories and citizens."

"The North American Aerospace Defense Command determined the missile launch did not pose a threat to North America," said Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense. "We also worked very quickly with our Japanese and South Korean allies to make sure it did not pose a threat to them either."

On Saturday, Trump vowed U.S. support to Japan in a hastily called joint press conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Florida.

"I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent," Trump said.

The DPRK claimed on Monday it had successfully test-fired Pukguksong-2, a surface-to-surface medium- and long-range ballistic missile, and its top leader Kim Jong Un guided the test firing, according to the state news agency KCNA.

Earlier Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a statement issued by his spokesman, strongly condemned the latest move by Pyongyang, saying "this action is a further troubling violation of (UN) Security Council resolutions."

China said Monday it is opposed to the DPRK's test-launch of the ballistic missile, which is in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

China calls for all parties concerned to exercise restraint and jointly maintain stability in the region, Geng Shuang, a spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a routine press briefing. Enditem