North Korea announces test of ballistic missile

North Korea announced on Thursday that it had successfully conducted a new test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fueled by solid propellant, according to official media outlets. This comes just days after Pyongyang threatened to shoot down any US spy aircraft violating its airspace.

A report from North Korea's state-run news agency stated that the Hwasong-18 missile, which is claimed to be powered by solid fuel and had been tested only once before in April, traveled a distance of 1,001 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 6,648 kilometers before falling into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.

Experts noted that the missile's flight duration was approximately seventy minutes, which is consistent with previous North Korean launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The central news agency also reported that the launch, carried out under the direction of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was a "huge explosion" that shook the entire planet.

The agency added that Kim also pledged to launch a "series of powerful military attacks" until the United States and South Korea change their policies towards the North.

The confirmation of the launch, which was reported by the South Korean military on Wednesday, comes at a time when relations between the two Koreas are at their lowest point. Kim Jong Un described his country's nuclear capabilities last year as "irreversible" and called for the development of the military arsenal, particularly tactical nuclear weapons.

In response, Seoul and Washington have strengthened their military cooperation and have vowed to respond with nuclear retaliation and "end" the current North Korean regime if it uses nuclear weapons.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff considered this launch as a "provocative act that undermines peace and security on the Korean Peninsula" and violates UN sanctions against Pyongyang.

The United States strongly condemned the missile launch, stating that it "constitutes a blatant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions," according to a statement issued by a spokesperson for the National Security Council in the White House.

A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern about the launch.

France also condemned the launch.

In February, North Korea also launched the Hwasong-15, which traveled a distance of 989 kilometers.

On Monday, North Korea threatened to shoot down US spy planes violating its airspace and condemned Washington's plan to deploy a ballistic missile submarine near the Korean Peninsula.

According to a spokesperson for North Korea's Ministry of Defense, the United States has "intensified its spying activities to levels exceeding those during wartime," referring to US spy planes that conducted several reconnaissance flights over an eight-day period in July, which were described as "provocations."

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un and his close advisor, indicated in a statement on Monday night that a US spy plane had violated North Korea's eastern airspace twice that same day. She warned of "decisive actions" by Pyongyang if the US military crosses its maritime boundary.

In April, the United States announced its intention to send an armed nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine on its first visit to a South Korean port in decades, without specifying a date for the visit.

In response, South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced an enhancement of defense cooperation with Washington and organized joint military exercises involving advanced weapons.

North Korea has conducted several missile launches this year in violation of sanctions, including tests of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles and an attempt to put a military spy satellite into orbit in May.

 

AFP