North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday on the orders of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, state media KCNA said, adding that its flight record exceeded previous tests.
The agency said Kim was at the scene.
“This test firing is an appropriate military action that fully fulfills the purpose of informing the enemy of our intention to counterattack,” Kim said at the time of the launch, according to a report by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
The launch came a day after South Korea’s military intelligence agency told lawmakers that North Korea had likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test. Intelligence officials said North Korea is close to testing a long-range missile capable of reaching the United States.
Germany, EU and UN condemn launch
The European Union and United Nations quickly condemned the launch, with the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell saying it signaled North Korea’s intention to develop a means to deliver weapons of mass destruction.
EU member Germany called the launch “illegal”.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement saying, “Today, we strongly condemn the launch of a long-range ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). Continuing is a clear violation.” Relevant Security Council resolutions. ”
Reuters reported on Thursday that the Security Council could meet on Monday to discuss the issue, at the request of France, Japan, Malta, Slovenia, South Korea, Britain and the United States.
North Korea has been under Security Council sanctions since 2006.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol, U.S. Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya criticized North Korea’s launch, calling it a “serious violation” of several United Nations Security Council resolutions.
South Korea and Japan discover missiles first
Earlier, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward North Korea’s eastern waters.
“The North Korean ballistic missile is believed to be a long-range ballistic missile fired at a high angle,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
Japan’s Japan Coast Guard also announced that North Korea launched what appeared to be a ballistic missile. According to the Japanese government, the missile is expected to impact approximately 300 kilometers (190 miles) west of Japan’s Okushiri Island at around 2:36 p.m. Japan time.
Defense Minister Nakatani told reporters, “At around 7:11 a.m. today (Wednesday 22:17 Japan time), North Korea fired at least one intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) class missile toward the northeast from the outskirts of Pyongyang. “The missile was fired,” he said, adding that the flight distance was estimated to be about 10 meters. It has an altitude of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and a maximum altitude of over 7,000 kilometers.
Nakatani said the missile had the “longest flight time” ever for North Korea, adding that he believed it “may be different from conventional missiles.”
The United States immediately condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile launch.
North Korea strengthens its weapons program
Starting in 2022, North Korea has rapidly increased the pace of its weapons tests.
In September 2023, North Korea enshrined nuclear weapons in its constitution, which was unanimously passed by Congress.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said at the time that it was “very important” to “accelerate the modernization of nuclear weapons in order to maintain the decisive advantage of strategic deterrence.”
North Korea announced last month that Kim had supervised two different missile tests, including one carrying a “very large conventional warhead.”
The other missile tested was called a “strategic” cruise missile, indicating it may have been testing nuclear capabilities.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that it will impose new export controls on materials used to make solid-fuel missiles in a bid to curb North Korea’s ballistic missile development.
The ministry said in a statement that the regulations strengthen existing international export controls targeting North Korea.
US, South Korea alert to North Korean troops stationed in Russia
Thursday’s incident came just hours after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin claimed that North Korean troops wearing Russian military uniforms and carrying Russian equipment were on their way to Kursk, a Russian region near Ukraine. .
Mr. Austin met with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and said it was “very likely” that the Russian government would commit North Korean troops into combat.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said Thursday that the United States expects North Korean troops stationed in Russia’s Kursk region to begin fighting with Ukraine in the coming days.
He added that there are already 10,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia and as many as 8,000 in Kursk.
Blinken, along with Austin and his South Korean compatriots, said at a news conference that Russia is training North Korean troops in artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles and basic infantry operations.
“We have not yet seen these troops deployed into combat with Ukrainian forces, but we expect to do so within the next few days,” he said, adding that if they enter the field, they would be legitimate military targets. He added that it would be.
Concerns are growing that North Korea is sending up to 12,000 troops to support Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
jsi/wd (AP, AFP, Reuters)
