This file photo provided by the North Korean government shows the test of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea on November 18, 2022. Photo: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP | Photo Credit: AP
North Korea fired a pair of ballistic missiles towards its eastern waters on 18 December First weapon test in a month And it comes two days after it claimed to have conducted key tests needed to build a more mobile, powerful intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the US mainland.
South Korea’s military detected the launch of two North Korean ballistic missiles from its northwest Tongchangri area. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missiles flew across the country towards its eastern waters.
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It said the missiles were fired about 50 minutes apart, but gave no further details, such as what type of warhead North Korea fired and how far they flew. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that South Korea’s military has strengthened its surveillance posture and maintained readiness in close coordination with the United States.
Japanese officials also said that they launched two missiles from North Korea. Its coast guard said missiles fired from North Korea fell in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Japanese coast guard officials said both missiles fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The Tongchangri area is home to North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, where the country has in previous years launched satellite-carrying long-range rockets in what the United Nations called a disguised test of ICBM technology.
On Thursday, at the Sohae facility, North Korea also tested a “high-thrust solid-fuel motor” for a new strategic weapon, a development that experts say could allow it to be more mobile. Hard – An arsenal of detectable intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach the US mainland.
It was not immediately known whether Sunday’s launch took place from the Sohe facility.
Sunday’s launch is the North’s first public weapons test since the country last month launched its developmental, longest-range liquid-fueled Hwasong-17 ICBM capable of reaching the entire US homeland. Earlier this year, North Korea tested several more missiles at a record pace, despite economic difficulties related to the pandemic and US-led pressure to halt its nuclear program.
North Korea has defended its weapons tests as self-defense measures to counter expanded US-South Korea military exercises, which it sees as an invasion rehearsal. But some experts say North Korea has used its rivals’ military training as a pretext to increase its arsenal of weapons and increase its leverage in future negotiations with the United States.
The weapon North Korea said it could build with the recently tested motor refers to a solid-fueled ICBM, one of a list of high-tech weapon systems that leader Kim Jong Un has unveiled. A major ruling Workers’ Party vowed to buy early during the conference. Last year. Other weapons systems Kim promised to build include a multi-warhead missile, underwater-launched nuclear missiles and spy satellites.
Solid propellant rockets have fuel already loaded inside, which helps reduce launch preparation time, increases weapon maneuverability and makes it difficult for outsiders to detect what is inside before lift-off. Happening. North Korea already has a growing arsenal of short-range, solid-fueled ballistic missiles that target key locations, including US military bases in South Korea.
The exact location of North Korea’s nuclear strike capability remains in secrecy, as all of its intercontinental ballistic missile tests in recent years have been conducted at an acute angle to avoid neighboring countries.
Some experts speculate that North Korea already has nuclear-tipped missiles that could hit the entire United States, given the years it has spent on its nuclear program. But others say the country is still years away from acquiring such a weapon, adding that it has yet to be publicly proven that it has the technology to protect the weapon from the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry.