SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea said Thursday it had test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that could potentially hit the U.S. mainland for the first time in nearly a year, days before the U.S. presidential election.
The United States, South Korea and Japan also characterized the weapon as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), saying it had a range of at least 3,500 miles and was primarily designed to deliver nuclear weapons. It was the first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch for the reclusive nuclear-armed North Korea since December, and it has increased its rhetoric against the United States and its allies South Korea and Japan.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the missile test and was at the launch site, according to a Defense Ministry statement carried by state-run Korean Central News Agency. Kim characterized this as an “appropriate military action” in the face of a deliberate escalation of regional tensions by North Korea’s rivals.
“I assure you that North Korea will never change its course of strengthening its nuclear forces,” Kim said, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Confirmations from North Korea are surprisingly quick, with details of weapons tests usually released the next day.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol issued a joint statement Thursday condemning the launch and urging North Korea to “immediately cease a series of provocative and destabilizing actions.” “I will.”
The three countries also condemned “deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including continued illegal arms transfers and the recent deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.”
The United States reiterated its defense commitment to South Korea and Japan, saying South Korea is “ironclad and backed by a full range of capabilities, including nuclear.”
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missile was launched from a location near North Korea’s capital Pyongyang at 7:10 a.m. local time (6:10 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday). Spokesman Lee Sung-joon said the missile was launched at a “very high altitude” and flew more than 600 miles before landing in the sea off North Korea’s east coast.
Lee said the launch may have been carried out just before the U.S. presidential election to strengthen North Korea’s negotiating leverage and gain attention.
He said the weapon could have been powered by solid propellants, allowing it to fire faster and more discreetly than liquid-fueled missiles, and could be launched from a 12-axis rocket revealed last month. He said that it may have been done. is North Korea’s largest mobile launch platform.
Mr. Lee agreed with Japan’s assessment that the missile flew for about 86 minutes and reached a maximum altitude of about 4,350 miles, higher than any previous North Korean missile test.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said the launch time was also the longest ever for a North Korean missile.
Japanese officials said the missile landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, but there were no reports of damage. Japan and South Korea both condemned the launch, calling it a threat to the security of not only their countries but also the international community.
Late Thursday, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced new export controls on products that could be used in North Korea’s solid-fuel ballistic missile development.
In a statement, National Security Council Spokesperson Sean Savet denounced the launch as a “clear violation” of several UN Security Council resolutions, saying it “unnecessarily escalates tensions and threatens regional security.” “There is a risk of destabilizing the situation.”
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the launches did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory or to allies South Korea and Japan, which host tens of thousands of U.S. service members.
The U.S. and South Korean militaries, which are strengthening cooperation in the region, conducted a large-scale joint air exercise in response to North Korea’s launch on Thursday, the South Korean military announced.
There was little reaction from China, North Korea’s neighbor and most important trading partner.
Asked about Thursday’s launch, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said the Chinese government “consistently believes that maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula and advancing a political solution to the peninsula issue is in the common interests of all parties.” I believe that,” he said.
The launch comes as South Korea’s Defense Intelligence Agency told lawmakers that North Korea could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) before or after the U.S. presidential election, or even conduct its long-anticipated seventh nuclear test. It was held the next day. North Korea’s last nuclear test was in September 2017.
The intercontinental ballistic missile (the solid-fueled Hwasong-18) launched by North Korea in December has a lofted orbit flight time and a potential range of 9,300 miles in a normal orbit, giving the United States It has been suggested that it could be within firing range from anywhere on the mainland.
But experts say North Korea has not yet mastered the technology needed to build warheads small enough to fit on these missiles and protect them during atmospheric entry.
North Korea, which has strengthened security ties with Moscow, is believed to be sending thousands of soldiers for training in Russia’s Far East, some of whom are already on their way to Ukraine. There is a possibility that it is. In return, the United States and other countries argue that Russia may be providing North Korea with key technology needed to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
North Korea said the deployment was a “rumor,” but Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny the report when asked about it by NBC News last week.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Secretary Kim Yong-hyun condemned the deployment Wednesday at their annual bilateral meeting in Washington.
Austin said it would be “very concerning” if North Korean soldiers were to join the fight between Russian and Ukrainian forces, and that they could be killed as a result.
“There are consequences to their actions, just as there are consequences to all actions, and we need to be mindful of what could happen,” he said.
On Thursday, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations estimated that about 8,000 North Korean troops were stationed in Russia’s Kursk region near the Ukrainian border.
Stella Kim reported from Seoul, Arata Yamamoto from Oshu, Japan, and Jennifer Jett from Hong Kong.
