North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the test site of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, which flew higher and longer than other missiles tested by North Korea in the past.
North Korea launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, which recorded the longest flight time and height in its history in its first test in nearly a year.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the missile test and was at the launch site. He called the launch an “appropriate military action” to show North Korea’s determination to respond to moves by its enemies that have threatened the North’s security, according to the North’s defense ministry.
The United States, South Korea and Japan also identified the weapon as an intercontinental ballistic missile and condemned the launch, saying it increased tensions. The launch came as Washington warned that North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms were heading toward Ukraine, likely to reinforce Russian forces and participate in the war.
North Korea confirmed the launch hours after its neighbors detected the firing of what they suspect was a new, more agile weapon aimed at the mainland United States. The statement was unusually quick, with North Korea typically describing its weapons tests a day after they took place.
“ I affirm that the DPRK will never change its course of strengthening its nuclear forces “, Mr. Kim said, according to a statement from the North Korean Defense Ministry carried by state media.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea may have tested a new long-range solid-propellant ballistic missile. Integrated solid-propellant missiles are easier to move and conceal and can be launched more quickly than liquid-propellant weapons.
JCS spokesman Lee Sung Joon said the launch may have been timed for the U.S. election, aiming to strengthen North Korea’s future negotiating power. He added that the North Korean missile was launched at a high angle, which allowed it to reach more height than distance, apparently to avoid neighboring countries.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters that the missile’s flight duration (86 minutes) and maximum altitude (more than 7,000 kilometers) exceeded corresponding data from previous North Korean missile tests. Mr. Lee, the South Korean military spokesman, said South Korea had a similar assessment of Thursday’s launch.
South Korea and Japan both condemned the North Korean launch as a threat to international peace and said they were closely coordinating with the United States over the latest test. North Korean weapons. Mr Lee said South Korea and the United States were planning “sufficient” bilateral military exercises and trilateral exercises involving Japan in response to North Korean threats.
North Korean soldiers continue their journey towards Ukraine
Over the past two years, Kim has taken advantage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to increase weapons tests and threats, while strengthening military cooperation with Moscow. South Korea, the United States and other countries have recently accused North Korea of sending thousands of troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. They said North Korea had already shipped artillery, missiles and other conventional weapons to Russia.
North Korea’s possible participation in the war in Ukraine would mark a serious escalation.
South Korea, the United States and their partners also worry about what North Korea could get from Russia in exchange for participating in the war against Ukraine. In addition to his soldiers’ salaries, experts say Kim Jong Un likely hopes to obtain cutting-edge Russian technology that will allow him to perfect his nuclear-capable missiles and build a reliable space surveillance system. Kim may also want Russian fighter jets and help modernizing North Korea’s conventional weapons.
On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and Russian equipment were heading toward Ukraine, which he called a dangerous and destabilizing development. Mr Austin said it was “very likely” that Russia would use the troops in combat.
Mr. Austin spoke at a news conference in Washington with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. Last week, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol raised the possibility of supplying weapons to Ukraine, while emphasizing that his government would not stand by in the face of North Korea sending troops.
South Korea said on Wednesday that North Korea had sent more than 11,000 troops to Russia and that more than 3,000 of them had been moved near battlefields in western Russia.
