North Korea Likely To Launch ICBM On 9 September: South Korea

South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon has said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is likely to “launch another Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on 9 September”.

“The situation is very grave. It doesn't seem [like] much time is left before North Korea achieves its complete nuclear armament. A special measure is urgently needed to stop their recklessness”, the Prime Minister told a meeting with the Defence Ministry in Seoul on Thursday (7 September).

Dozens were injured recently when protests broke out in Seoul over the United States (US) military adding more launchers to the high-tech THAAD missile-defence system in a southern town to counter North Korean threats.

Protesters tried to block the road where US forces were transporting four additional THAAD missile interceptor launchers to a base in Seongju and, in the process, entered into a scuffle with armoured riot police, which left many injured, CNN reported.

A Defence Ministry spokesperson said that the rollout was “temporarily” completed on Thursday, adding it was necessary to counter increased threats from North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in held discussions on North Korea with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

After the meeting, Abe and Jae-in issued a statement saying “now is the time to further increase sanctions and pressures against the North as much as possible rather than seeking dialogue”, said Moon's spokesperson Yoon Young-chan. (ANI)