A US appeals court is set to hold a hearing on Tuesday over President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban, which the government is defending as a "lawful exercise" of his authority.White House spokesman Sean Spicer insisted the administration was "absolutely not" planning to back down on its plan for extreme vetting at US borders, saying, "once we win the case, it will go right back into action." (AFP PHOTO/Brendan Smialowski)
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Monday condemned the latest test-launch of ballistic missiles by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Calling the launches consistent with the DPRK's "long history of provocative behavior," White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters here that it represented a "very serious threat."
Spicer also said the White House was taking steps to enhance its ability to defend against the DPRK's ballistic missiles.
Meanwhile, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has reported that Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has supervised a ballistic rocket launching drill of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on spot.
Involved in the drill were Hwasong artillery units of the KPA Strategic Forces "tasked to strike the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces in Japan in contingency," said KCNA report.
Kim learned in detail about the preparations for fire strike" while going round the ballistic rocket launching ground," said the report.
The latest missile launch by the DPRK came as the United States and the ROK were conducting their joint military drill.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday it is opposed to the launch activities of the DPRK that violates UN Security Council resolutions, and urged all sides to keep restraint.
Citing the ongoing training exercise jointly conducted by the United States and the ROK, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that under the current circumstances, all relevant parties should keep restraint and avoid provoking each other and intensifying the tense situation in the region.
