North Korea test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile in three months on Wednesday, days after it threatened "shocking" consequences to protest what it called provocative United States reconnaissance activity near its territory.
Some experts say North Korea likely launched its developmental, road-mobile Hwasong-18 ICBM, a type of solid-fuel weapon that is harder to detect and intercept than its liquid-fuel ICBMs. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un previously called the Hwasong-18 the most powerful weapon of his nuclear forces.
The missile, fired from North Korea's capital region around 10 a.m., flew about 620 miles at a maximum altitude of 3,730 miles before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to South Korean and Japanese assessments. They said the missile was launched at a high angle in what observers say was an apparent attempt to avoid neighboring countries.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the missile flew for 74 minutes — the longest flight time recorded by any weapon launched by North Korea. The previous record of 71 minutes was registered during the test flight of the liquid-fuel Hwasong-17 ICBM last year.
South Korea wants more opposition to North Korea's nuclear program
South Korea said North Korea launched a ballistic missile at the North's eastern waters.
South Korea's military called the launch "a grave provocation" and urged North Korea to refrain from additional launches. Matsuno denounced North Korea's repeated missile launches as "threats to the peace and safety of Japan, the region and international society."
In a trilateral phone call, the chief nuclear envoys of South Korea, Japan and the U.S. agreed to sternly deal with North Korean provocations and boost their coordination to promote a stronger international response to the North's nuclear and missile programs, according to Seoul's Foreign Ministry.
The launch came while South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were attending the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. In an emergency meeting of South Korea's security council convened by video in Lithuania, Yoon warned North Korea would face more powerful international sanctions due to its illicit weapons programs.
North Korea's ICBM program targets the mainland United States, while its shorter-range missiles are designed to hit U.S. regional allies like South Korea and Japan.
Since 2017, North Korea has performed a slew of ICBM tests, but some experts say the North still has some technologies to master to possess functioning nuclear-armed missiles capable of reaching major U.S. cities.
The North's ICBM test in April was the first launch of the Hwasong-18. After that launch, Kim said the missile would enhance the North's counterattack capabilities and ordered the expansion of his country's nuclear arsenal to "constantly strike extreme uneasiness and horror" in its rivals.
Missiles with built-in solid propellants would be easier to move and hide, making it difficult for opponents to detect their launches in advance. All of North Korea's previous ICBM tests used liquid fuel.
Should we be nervous about North Korea's nuclear weapon tests?
Experts share whether there's a current threat from North Korea, as it has been publicly attempting to expand its nuclear weapons arsenal.
Earlier this week, North Korea released a series of statements accusing the U.S. of flying a military spy plane close to its soil.
In a statement Monday night, Kim's sister and top adviser, Kim Yo Jong, warned the United States of "a shocking incident" as she claimed that the U.S. spy plane flew over the North's eastern exclusive economic zone eight times earlier in the day.
The U.S. and South Korea dismissed the North's accusations and urged it to refrain from any acts or rhetoric that raised animosities.
"I would just say that we continue to urge (North Korea) to refrain from escalatory actions," Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said Tuesday. "As a matter of international law, (North Korea's) recent statements that U.S. flights above its claimed exclusive economic zone are unlawful are unfounded, as high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in such areas."
North Korea has made numerous similar accusations over U.S. reconnaissance activities, but its latest statements came amid heightened animosities over North Korea's torrid run of weapons tests since the start of last year. Some observers say the North wants to use an expanded weapons arsenal to wrest greater concessions in eventual diplomacy with its rivals.
Some experts say North Korea might ramp up weapons tests around July 27, the date for the 70th anniversary of the signing of an armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea calls the date "the V-Day" or "the War Victory Day."
U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from engaging in any launches using ballistic technologies. But China and Russia, both permanent members of the council, blocked the U.S. and others' attempts to toughen U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its recent ballistic missile tests.
