North Korea confirmed on Sunday that the ICBM test conducted on Saturday was intended to further strengthen its capability for a “fatal” nuclear strike against its rivals, according to the Associated Press. The country has also threatened more powerful steps in response to planned military training between the United States and South Korea.
In its first missile test since Jan. 1, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said the launch involved the current Hwasong-15 ICBM and was staged “suddenly” without warning on the leader’s orders. Kim Jong Un.
The launch was designed to test the reliability of the weapon and the combat readiness of the country’s nuclear force, KCNA said. It also reports that Kim Jong Un is using his rivals’ exercises as an opportunity to expand the North’s nuclear capability, with the aim of enhancing his influence in future relations with the United States.
One expert added that the North may seek to hold regular operational exercises involving its ICBMS, the AP said.
NORTH KOREA LAUNCHED A BALLISTIC MISSILE INTO THE EAST SEA, SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN SAID
This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what a test firing of a Hwasong-15 ICBM says at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea on Saturday, February 18, 2023. Independent journalists were not granted access for cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
KCNA also reported that the missile was launched at a high angle and reached a maximum altitude of approximately 5,770 kilometers (3,585 miles). It also flew at a range of approximately 990 kilometers (615 miles) for 67 minutes before accurately hitting a predetermined area in the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan.
Flight details reported by North Korea, which aligned itself with information evaluated by its neighbors, show that the weapon is theoretically capable of reaching the continental United States when fired with a standard trajectory.
KCNA said Saturday’s launch demonstrated NK’s “powerful physical nuclear deterrent” and its efforts to “transform its capability for a fatal nuclear counterstrike against hostile forces” into an extremely strong capability that cannot be countered.
Whether North Korea has a functional nuclear warhead ballistic missile remains a source of debate. Some experts say the country has not mastered the technology needed to protect warheads from severe atmospheric re-entry conditions – the country claims it has such technology.
NORTH KOREA THREATENS ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ STRONG RESPONSE TO US-SOUTH KOREA NUCLEAR DRILLS
This photo furnished by the North Korean government shows what a test firing of a Hwasong-15 ICBM says at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea on Saturday, February 18, 2023. The content of this image is as supplied and may not be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Hwasong-15 is one of three existing ICBMSs in the North, all of which use liquid propellants that require injections before launch and cannot remain fueled for long periods. The country is pushing to build a solid-propellant ICBM, which would be more mobile and harder to detect before it is launched.
Korea Aerospace University missile expert Chang Young-Keun said the Hwasong-15 ICBM launched on Saturday appears to be an upgraded version, as information provided by NK showed the missile would likely have a potential longer range than standard. .
The Northern launch came a day after promising an “unprecedented” strong response to an upcoming series of military exercises planned by Seoul and Washington, DC – which NK has repeatedly criticized and called a “proof of invasion”.
In a separate statement Sunday, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of Kim Jong Un, accused South Korea and the United States of “openly displaying their dangerous greed and attempting to gain the military upper hand and predominant position in the peninsula Korean”.
“I warn that we will observe every movement of the enemy and we will adopt a corresponding, very powerful and overwhelming counter-pressure against his every move hostile to us,” he said.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam March 2, 2019. (REUTERS/Jorge Silva/Pool)
SOUTH KOREA REFERS TO NORTH AS ‘OUR ENEMY’ FOR FIRST TIME IN SIX YEARS AS TENSIONS RISE
Soo Kim, a security analyst at RAND Corporation, said it was clear North Korea would view any action taken by the US and South Korea as an “act of hostility,” regardless of how justified the action may be in response to the “actions” of the North reckless behavior».
“With nuclear weapons in tow and having mastered the art of coercion and bullying, Kim has no need for ‘self-defense.’ But placing the United States and South Korea as aggressors allows Kim to justify his weapons development Soo Kim said.
US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson assured that the United States would take “all necessary measures” to protect the American homeland, South Korea and Japan. South Korea’s presidential National Security Council said it would seek to strengthen its “overwhelming response capacity” against potential aggression based on an alliance with the US military.
The South Korean and US militaries plan to hold a tabletop exercise this week to refine a joint nuclear weapons response plan. In March, the allies will also conduct field training, another computer-simulated joint exercise.
In this photo provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry, a US B-52 bomber, a C-17 and a South Korean Air Force F-35 fighter jet fly over the Korean peninsula during a joint air exercise in South Korea, Tuesday, December 20. 2022. (South Korean Ministry of Defense via AP)
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Last year, North Korea set an annual record by firing more than 90 missiles. It has also passed a law that allows it to preemptively use nuclear weapons in a wide range of scenarios.
Kim Jong Un entered 2023 with a call for an “exponential increase” in the country’s nuclear warheads, the mass production of tactical battlefield nuclear weapons against South Korea, and the development of more advanced ICBMs against United States
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
