Politics

Trump on North Korean missile launch: 'We will take care of it'

Trump says he will 'deal with' North Korea following latest missile launch
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Trump says he will 'deal with' North Korea following latest missile launch

President Donald Trump on Tuesday responded to the latest North Korean missile launch, saying, "I will only tell you that we will take care of it," and that the launch was "a situation that we will handle." Trump gave no details on precisely what he meant by this.

Trump spoke from the White House Roosevelt Room, just hours after the launch.

Pentagon officials said their initial review of the launch indicated that an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from North Korea and traveled about 1,000 kilometers before landing in the Sea of Japan.

The launch marked the first time since September that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has launched a weapon. Kim's autocratic regime also tested a nuclear device underground in September, according to the Pentagon.

At the time of the launch, Trump was visiting Republican senators on Capitol Hill, part of a full-court press to pass the GOP's tax reform bill. According to the White House, Trump was briefed on the missile launch while the weapon was still in the air.

WATCH: Mattis says N. Korea missile went higher than previous missiles

Sec. Mattis: North Korea missile went higher than previous missiles
VIDEO1:0901:09
Sec. Mattis: North Korea missile went higher than previous missiles