Long-range North Korean test missile 'designed to strike US' splashes down near Japan
A file photo of a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) being prepared for launch in 2023.
In short:
North Korea has test fired a missile which South Korea says could strike the continental United States.
Japan said it was the longest flight duration for a North Korean missile test.
What's next?
North Korean troops in Russian uniforms are heading towards Ukraine and are likely to join the war on Russia's side.
North Korea has test-launched a suspected new long-range missile, which South Korea says was designed to strike the continental United States.
It comes as the US warns North Korean troops in Russian uniforms are heading towards Ukraine and are likely to join the war.
The specific long-range missile capabilities North Korea was testing were not known, but analysts said the launch was likely intended to grab American attention ahead of the US election next week.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected a ballistic missile launch from North Korea about 7:10am and that the weapon flew towards the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
It said the weapon was launched on a high angle and it was suspected of being a long-range ballistic missile.
Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters that a preliminary examination shows the launch could involve a new missile, citing its flight duration of 1 hour and 26 minutes, which he said is the longest for a North Korean missile test.
He said the missile landed in waters outside of the Japanese exclusive economic zone but condemned North Korea's nuclear and missile development for threatening the safety of Japan and the international community.
North Korean state media, KCNA, said the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) set a record exceeding any previous test.
The country's leader Kim Jong Un said at the test-firing site that the dangerous moves of North Korea's enemies had emphasised the need to strengthen its nuclear force, KCNA said.
Mr Kim said North Korea would never change its stance of strengthening its nuclear arsenal, KCNA added.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un looks on during a September 2024 test of what state media described as a new tactical ballistic missile.
South Korea and Japan said they were closely coordinating with the US about the launch.
The US condemned North Korea for the launch, saying it violated UN Security Council resolutions and "needlessly" risked raising tensions.
"It only demonstrates that the DPRK continues to prioritise its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people," US national security council spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement.
Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said the launch could have involved a new missile.
He added that the US would work to ensure the security of the American homeland and its South Korean and Japanese allies.
North Korea last test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile in December 2023, when it launched the solid-fuelled Hwasong-18.
Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and hide and can be launched quicker than liquid-propellant weapons.
South Korea's military intelligence agency told politicians on Wednesday that North Korea was close to test-firing a long-range missile capable of reaching the US and had also likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test.
North Korea has made strides in its missile technologies in recent years, but many foreign experts believe the country has yet to acquire a functioning nuclear-armed missile that could strike the US mainland.
But they say North Korea likely possesses short-range missiles that could deliver nuclear strikes across all of South Korea.
One of the technological hurdles North Korea still faces is for its weapons to be capable of surviving the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry.
South Korean officials and experts have previous said North Korea may test-launch an ICBM on a normal angle to verify that capability.
In the past two years, Mr Kim has used Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a window to ramp up weapons tests and threats, while also expanding military cooperation with Moscow.
South Korea, the US and others have recently accused North Korea of dispatching thousands of troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine.
They have said North Korea has already shipped artillery, missiles and other convectional arms to Russia.
In 2022, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was pictured near a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
North Korea's possible participation in the Ukraine war would mark a serious escalation.
South Korea, the US and their partners also worry about what North Korea could get from Russia in return for joining Russia's war against Ukraine.
Aside from his soldiers' wages, experts say Mr Kim likely hopes to get high-tech Russian technology that could perfect his nuclear-capable missiles.
South Korean TV carried breaking news coverage of the missile test.
On Wednesday, local time, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment were moving towards Ukraine, in what he called a dangerous and destabilising development.
South Korea said that North Korea has sent more than 11,000 troops to Russia and that more than 3,000 of them have been moved close to battlefields in western Russia.
Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP that the missile launch "seems to have been carried out to divert attention from international criticism of its troop deployment".
South Korea said the troop deployment poses a "significant security threat", and its spy agency has flagged domestic issues in North Korea stemming from the move, with the families of soldiers reportedly grief-stricken at the news.
With the missile launch, "North Korea may also be trying to redirect the anxiety of military families, including those of deployed personnel," Mr Yang added.
AP/AFP
By：ABC(责任编辑：admin)
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