North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Sunday, the latest in a series of launches which have sparked international condemnation and threats of tougher UN sanctions. 
 
 US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described the launch, the second in a week and the 10th this year, as "disappointing" and "disturbing," but rejected a suggestion that the US strategy to tackle North Korea was not working. 
 
 The missile, described by Washington as medium-range, was fired from Pukchang in South Pyongan province and traveled about 310 miles, according to the South's armed forces. 
 
 "Our military is closely monitoring signs for additional provocation by the North Korean military and we are keeping a full military readiness," said a statement from Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff. 
 
 The launch came just one week after the North fired a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile, which according to Pyongyang flew almost 500 miles and was capable of carrying a "heavy" nuclear warhead. 
 
 Analysts said the Hwasong traveled further than any previous ballistic missile launched by the North. 
 
 The May 14 launch was seen as a significant step forward as the North accelerates efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the continental United States. 
 
 The launches, and a threatened sixth nuclear test, have fueled tension with the administration of US President Donald Trump, who has vowed that such an ICBM launch "won't happen." 
 
 He warned that no option is off the table in dealing with the North's weapons program, although Washington has so far opted for sanctions and diplomatic pressure, while looking to China, the North's closest ally, to step up economic pressure on Pyongyang. 
 
 Tillerson said the effects of these measures had yet to fully take effect. 
 
 "I think we are early in the game of putting pressure on them, and one could also interpret that perhaps they are just acting out now in response to some of this pressure," he said in an interview with Fox News Sunday. 
 
 US allies South Korea and Japan issued sharp criticism of the latest missile test. 
 
 Seoul's foreign ministry slammed the "reckless and irresponsible" firing as "throwing cold water on the hope and longing of the new government and the international community" for denuclearization and peace on the Korean peninsula. 
 
 South Korea's incoming left-leaning government has taken a more conciliatory line with Pyongyang than its conservative predecessors, but has reacted strongly to the latest two missile tests. 
 
 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the missile launches "trample on efforts by the international community towards a peaceful solution and are a challenge to the world," Kyodo News reported. 
 
 The US Pacific Command said it tracked the missile until it landed in the Sea of Japan (East Sea). 
 
 "US Pacific Command stands behind our ironclad commitment to the security of our allies in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Japan," it added in a statement. 
 
 Pyongyang has long had missiles that can reach targets across South Korea and Japan. 
 
 With an imputed range of 2,800 miles the Hwasong-12 also puts US bases on the Pacific island of Guam within reach. 
 
 'Many more' missiles 
 
 The UN Security Council met behind closed doors last Tuesday to discuss tightening sanctions on North Korea after its May 14 launch. 
 
 US ambassador Nikki Haley said the United States was working with Beijing on a new sanctions resolution and warned that all countries must step up action against North Korea or face measures themselves. 
 
 The North says it needs missiles and nuclear weapons to deter any attack by the United States, and state newspaper Minju Joson Sunday threatened more launches. 
 
 "If the US persists in confrontation with the DPRK (North Korea), the latter will show how the crime-woven history of the US is put to an end," it said. 
 
 "Many more 'Juche weapons' capable of striking the US will be launched from this land. This is the DPRK's answer to the Trump administration," it said, referring to the national philosophy of "Juche" or self-reliance. ||||| A man watches a TV news program showing image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, published in the North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper, at Seoul Railway station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 22,... (Associated Press) 
 
 TOKYO (AP) — North Korea says it's ready to deploy and start mass-producing a new medium-range missile capable of reaching Japan and major U.S. military bases there following a test launch it claims confirmed the missile's combat readiness and is an "answer" to President Donald Trump's policies. 
 
 The solid-fuel Pukguksong-2 missile flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) and reached a height of 560 kilometers (350 miles) Sunday before plunging into the Pacific Ocean. North Korea's media said more missiles will be launched in the future. 
 
 Trump, traveling in Saudi Arabia, had no immediate public comment. 
 
 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the launch and watched from an observation post, state media reported Monday. The Korea Central News Agency said the test verified technical aspects of the weapon system and examined its "adaptability under various battle conditions" before it is deployed to military units. 
 
 Kim reportedly said the launch was a success, "approved the deployment of this weapon system for action" and said that it should "be rapidly mass-produced." 
 
 North Korea has significantly speeded up its missile tests over the past year or so and appears to be making tangible progress toward developing an arsenal that poses a threat not only to South Korea and Japan — which together host about 80,000 U.S. troops — but also toward an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the mainland United States. 
 
 It's moving ahead with its nuclear weapons program as well. 
 
 The North conducted two nuclear tests last year. It claims one was a hydrogen bomb and the other device created a more powerful explosion than any the North has previous tested. Satellite imagery suggests it could be ready to conduct its next test — which would be its sixth — at virtually any time. 
 
 Pyongyang's often-stated goal is to perfect a nuclear warhead that it can put on a missile capable of hitting Washington or other U.S. cities. 
 
 North Korea's media, meanwhile, have stepped up their calls for even more missile launches because of what Pyongyang claims is an increasingly hostile policy by President Donald Trump. 
 
 "The Trump administration would be well advised to lend an ear to the voices of concern that are heard from the U.S. and the international community," the North's Minju Joson newspaper said in a commentary Sunday. "Many more 'Juche weapons' capable of striking the U.S. will be launched from this land. This is the DPRK's answer to the Trump administration.'" 
 
 "Juche," in this usage, refers to domestically produced and DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 
 
 In an interview with "Fox News Sunday" U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the ongoing testing is "disappointing" and "disturbing." 
 
 South Korea held a National Security Council meeting after the launch, and its Foreign Ministry said the launch "throws cold water" on efforts to ease tensions on the peninsula. 
 
 At the request of diplomats from the U.S., Japan and South Korea, a United Nations' Security Council consultation on the missile test will take place Tuesday. 
 
 North Korea a week earlier had successfully tested a new midrange missile — the Hwasong 12 — that it said could carry a heavy nuclear warhead. 
 
 Experts said that rocket flew higher and for a longer time than any other missile previously tested by North Korea and represents another big advance toward a viable ICBM. 
 
 David Wright, an expert on North Korea's missiles and nuclear program who is with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the latest missile could have flown farther but was fired on a "lofted" trajectory, which sends the missile high up so that it will land in the open seas rather than flying over or splashing down near neighboring countries. 
 
 He noted the Pukguksong-2's solid fuel is of particular concern. 
 
 Solid-fuel missiles have their fuel loaded in them before being moved into place, allowing them to be launched faster and with more secrecy. Liquid-fuel missiles, on the other hand, are fueled at the launch site in a process that can last an hour and requires fueling and other vehicles. That makes then easier to spot and easier to destroy than the solid-fuel variety. 
 
 ___ 
 
 AP writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report. Talmadge is the AP's Pyongyang bureau chief. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/EricTalmadge and Instagram at erictalmadge. ||||| SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea said on Monday it successfully tested what it called an intermediate-range ballistic missile, which met all technical requirements and could now be mass-produced, although U.S. officials and experts questioned the extent of its progress. 
 
 The United States, which has condemned repeated North Korean missile launches, said Sunday’s launch of what North Korea dubbed the Pukguksong-2 was of a “medium-range” missile, and U.S.-based experts doubted the reliability of the relatively new solid-fuel type after so few tests. 
 
 U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the test did not demonstrate a new capability, or one that could threaten the United States directly. But the test was North Korea’s second in a week and South Korea’s new liberal government said it dashed its hopes for peace. 
 
 U.S. officials have been far less sanguine about the test of a long-range KN-17, or Hwasong-12, missile just over a week ago, which U.S. officials believe survived re-entry to some degree. 
 
 North Korea said that launch tested the capability to carry a “large-size heavy nuclear warhead” and put the U.S. mainland within “sighting range.” 
 
 Western experts say the Hwasong-12 test did appear to have advanced North Korea’s aim of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, even if it is still some way off from achieving that capability. 
 
 The U.N. Security Council is due to meet on Tuesday behind closed doors to discuss Sunday’s test, which defies Security Council resolutions and sanctions. The meeting was called at the request of the United States, Japan and South Korea. 
 
 Washington has been trying to persuade China to agree to new sanctions on North Korea, which has conducted dozens of missile firings and tested two nuclear bombs since the start of last year. 
 
 U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that a “major, major conflict” with North Korea is possible over its weapons programs, although U.S. officials say tougher sanctions, not military force, are the preferred option. 
 
 North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, said the latest missile test was supervised by leader Kim Jong Un and verified the reliability of Pukguksong-2’s solid-fuel engine, stage separation and late-stage guidance for a nuclear warhead. It said data was recorded by a device mounted on the warhead. 
 
 ‘PRIDE’ 
 
 “Saying with pride that the missile’s rate of hits is very accurate and Pukguksong-2 is a successful strategic weapon, he (Kim) approved the deployment of this weapon system for action,” KCNA said. 
 
 “Now that its tactical and technical data met the requirements of the Party, this type of missile should be rapidly mass-produced in a serial way ..., he said.” 
 
 KCNA said Kim was able to view the Earth from a camera mounted on the missile. “Supreme leader Kim Jong Un said it feels grand to look at the Earth from the rocket we launched and the entire world looks so beautiful,” KCNA said. 
 
 South Korea’s military said the missile flew about 500 km (310 miles), reaching an altitude of 560 km (350 miles). 
 
 It said the test would have provided more “meaningful data” for North Korea’s missile program, but further analysis was necessary to determine whether Pyongyang had mastered the technology needed to stop the warhead burning up on re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. 
 
 U.S.-based experts said the Pukguksong-2 would have a maximum range of about 1,500 km (930 miles) and questioned North Korea’s assertion that the reliability of the solid-fuel missile had been proven, given limited testing. 
 
 “Entering mass production this early in the development phase is risky, but perhaps a risk North Korea feels comfortable managing,” said Michael Elleman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. 
 
 Jeffrey Lewis, of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said North Korea would probably continue to test the missile after deployment, fixing flaws as they emerged. 
 
 The use of solid fuel presents advantages for weapons because it is more stable and can be transported easily allowing for a launch at very short notice from mobile launchers. 
 
 Developing longer-range solid fuel missiles, however, was highly complicated and would “take time, lots of it,” Elleman said. 
 
 John Schilling, a missile expert contributing to Washington’s 38 North think tank, estimated it would take until at least 2020 for North Korea to be able to develop an ICBM capable of reaching the U.S. mainland and until 2025 for one powered by solid fuel. 
 
 North Korea’s current missiles already pose a threat to South Korea and Japan and the tens of thousands of U.S. troops based in both countries. 
 
 Daniel Russel, Washington’s former top diplomat for Asia, said Pyongyang’s aim appeared to be to convince the United States and the rest of the world of the need to accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state. 
 
 “The intended message to the United States is that your pressure campaign won’t work and we’ll see your sanctions and raise you yet another advance in our ballistic missile program,” Russel, now diplomat in residence at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told Reuters. 
 
 The scene of the intermediate-range ballistic missile Pukguksong-2's launch test. KCNA/via REUTERS 
 
 On Sunday U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson termed North Korea’s missile testing “disappointing, disturbing” and said economic and diplomatic pressure would continue. 
 
 Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said on Monday it was important to cut North Korea’s foreign currency earnings and to block shipments and technology transfers that aid North Korea’s nuclear missile development. 
 
 China repeated its call for all parties to exercise restraint and not let tension mount further.
– North Korea says it's ready to deploy and start mass-producing a new medium-range missile capable of reaching Japan and major US military bases there following a test launch it claims confirmed the missile's combat readiness and is an "answer" to President Trump's policies. The solid-fuel Pukguksong-2 missile flew about 310 miles and reached a height of 350 miles Sunday before plunging into the Pacific Ocean. North Korea's media said more missiles will be launched in the future, the AP reports. Trump, traveling in Saudi Arabia, had no immediate public comment. Kim Jong Un ordered the launch and watched from an observation post, state media reported Monday. The Korea Central News Agency said the test verified technical aspects of the weapon system and examined its "adaptability under various battle conditions" before it's deployed to military units. Kim reportedly said the launch was a success, "approved the deployment of this weapon system for action," and said that it should "be rapidly mass-produced." Viewing images sent from the rocket, Kim noted, "It feels grand to look at the Earth from the rocket we launched," KCNA said, via Reuters. The North's Minju Joson newspaper said in a commentary Sunday that in Pyongyang's "answer to the Trump administration," many more missiles "capable of striking the US will be launched from this land."