North Korea says recent ICBM test set new record

Leader Kim Jong-un has said the launch of a Hwasongpho-19 missile was meant as a signal to adversaries

North Korea’s launch of a Hwasongpho-19 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday sent a signal to any would-be aggressors, the country’s leader Kim Jong-un has explained. He also said that the successful test further confirmed his country’s advances in missile technology.

On Friday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the projectile launched by the North Korean military reached an altitude of nearly 7,700km (4,785 miles) and covered a distance of over 1,000km, landing in a designated area in the Sea of Japan (known as the East Sea in Korea).

According to the agency, the ICBM test “updated the recent records of the strategic missile capability of the DPRK” and did not pose any threat to the security of neighboring nations.

The leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea cited “ever-aggravating” threats from adversaries as necessitating the continued development of “modern strategic attack forces.”

He went on to state that the “test-fire is an appropriate military action that fully meets the purpose of informing the rivals who have intentionally escalated the regional situation and posed a threat to the security of our Republic recently.”

Kim accused those nations, without specifying any in particular, of tightening “their nuclear alliance,” as well as engaging in “various adventuristic military maneuvers.”

According to the report, Thursday’s launch represented an “epochal milestone in perpetuating the absolute superiority of the strategic armed forces of the DPRK.” The KCNA added that the latest show of force was intended to “strike terror” into adversaries and discourage them from going to war with North Korea.

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The outlet said that Kim personally gave the order for the launch and observed the test.    

At a press-briefing on Thursday afternoon, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, estimated that “depending on the weight of the warhead, the [North Korean missile’s] range could exceed 15,000km,” meaning that it could reach the US mainland.

The US Indo-Pacific Command condemned the test, urging North Korea “to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts.”

While the DPRK regularly conducts missile tests, ICBM launches are relatively rare, with the previous one taking place last December.

North Korea has repeatedly denounced joint military exercises by the US and South Korea, describing them as preparation for possible aggression. Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang have further soured over the past few months over accusations of garbage and propaganda leaflet dropping from drones and hot air balloons.