North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into eastern waters on Sunday, conducting its first weapons test in a month. The launch carried out major tests needed by the country to build a more maneuverable and powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) designed to strike the U.S. mainland, he said on Thursday. will be done later.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff statement said two North Korean ballistic missiles fired from the Dongchang-ri area were detected by the South Korean military, according to the Associated Press.
The missiles flew over South Korea and were fired at intervals of about 50 minutes, the statement said. Details about the type of weapon fired and the exact flight distance were not immediately available from South Korean officials.
The South Korean military is reportedly “enhancing surveillance” and working closely with the United States to maintain readiness, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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The North Korean flag in the background and the South Korean flag in the foreground fluttering in the wind, as seen from the North-South border area in Paju, South Korea.
(via Lim Byung-sik/Yonhap AP)
Japanese officials said both missiles fell into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. There were no reports of casualties or damage to the ship.
Japan’s Senior Defense Minister Toshiro Ino told the Associated Press that both missiles flew 310 miles at a maximum altitude of 550 miles. Ino criticized North Korea for “threatening the security of Japan, the region and the international community.”
North Korea’s West Sea Satellite Launch Site is located in the Dongchang-ri area, where North Korea has launched long-range satellite-launched rockets over the past few years. The United Nations described these operations as camouflage tests of her ICBM technology.
On Friday, North Korea announced that it had tested a “high-thrust solid-fuel motor” for a new strategic weapon at its Sohar facility on Thursday. Experts say the development could allow the country to have a more maneuverable, hard-to-detect weapon of intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland, according to the Associated Press. .
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Sunday’s launch was the country’s first public weapons test since it launched the longest-range liquid-fueled Hwasong-17 ICBM under development last month. That weapon could reportedly reach the entire continental United States.
Kim Jong Un pledged to procure a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile at a major ruling party meeting early last year. Other weapon systems Kim Jong-un has promised to manufacture include multiple warhead missiles, water-launched nuclear missiles and spy satellites.
This photo distributed by the North Korean government shows what is said to be a test launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at an undisclosed location in North Korea on March 24.
(via Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Agency AP)
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North Korea conducted various test launches at a record pace in 2022, according to the AP, while the United States put pressure on it to curb its nuclear program and pandemic-related economic hardships.
North Korea said the weapons tests were a means of self-defense against a US-South Korea “aggression rehearsal” and were really just an expansion of military exercises. Experts believe North Korea likely used the training as an excuse to bolster its arms arsenal and increase its influence in future negotiations with the United States.
In addition to expanding their regular exercises, South Korean and US forces have also resumed trilateral exercises with Japan in response to North Korea’s test activity.
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives a lecture at the North Korean Central Officers Training School on October 17, 2022.
(via Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Agency AP)
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The true nature of North Korea’s nuclear strike capability remains unknown. Some believe that nuclear warhead missiles capable of hitting the entire United States, South Korea and Japan are already functioning, while others believe it will be years before a weapon of that scale is available.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
