North Korea says it has tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time. The object, named Hwasong-17, ended up in the sea 170 kilometers west of Japan. This is the first test with a so-called ICBM since 2017, and with a longer range than North Korea has previously shown.
Then North Korea showed it had nuclear-powered missiles that could reach the US; one of the main goals of the North Korean nuclear weapons program. The Kim Jong-un regime believes that this will deter other countries from attacking North Korea.
The rocket fired this morning took about 71 minutes to travel and reached an altitude of 6000 kilometers. The projectile covered a distance of about 1,100 kilometers as the crow flies. That is further and higher than any of North Korea’s other missile tests.
In 2017, the Hwasong-15 rocket was launched. It flew for 53 minutes to an altitude of about 4475 kilometers and had a range of 950 kilometers. Whether it really is a new type of missile is the question: South Korea also takes into account that it is a Hwasong-15 with modified thrusters and head, allowing it to fly longer and further.
Kim
North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-un says the new weapon shows that the North Korean military is “mighty and modern”. According to him, the new weapon is of great importance to prevent a nuclear war.
At the same time, the leader threatened that North Korean forces would be ready to retaliate against “any military action” by the US. Anyone who wants to endanger North Korea’s security “will pay a heavy price.”
South Korea launches missile
South Korea has condemned the missile test. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the latest rocket launch an “unacceptable act of violence”.
The US, Britain and France want the Security Council to meet tomorrow to discuss the test. In recent months, Pyongyang has stepped up its missile tests, presumably to increase pressure on the West to renegotiate. A total of 11 missiles have been tested by North Korea this year. That mainly concerned short- and medium-range missiles, but, according to North Korea, also a hypersonic missile.
In response to the test, South Korea itself fired multiple missiles to demonstrate that it has “the capacity and readiness” to hit targets in North Korea with precision, an army spokesman said in a statement.
The White House said the North Korean launch is a “brutal” violation of several UN Security Council resolutions and unnecessarily heightens tensions.
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