North Korea claimed to have successfully tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, a claim that, if true, would enable Pyongyang to launch faster and more unpredictable missiles towards the United States.
The launch of the Hwasong-18 missile on Thursday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency, was overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is expected to significantly strengthen the nation’s nuclear counterattack and strategic deterrence postures.
According to KCNA, Kim “expressed great joy over the miraculous success” of the test and said that as a result, the nation’s adversaries will now “experience tremendous anxiety and fear,” making them regret their poor decision in despair.
Solid-fueled ICBMs are theoretically considerably more difficult for opponents like the United States to identify and attempt to intercept, which is why North Korea has long wished to develop them.
All three of the ICBMs North Korea has launched so far have used liquid fuel, which must be put into the rocket over the course of hours and requires complex equipment that is visible from space.
Nevertheless, solid-fuel rockets are pre-fueled. Such missiles are simpler to move in hypothetical combat scenarios thanks to solid fuel’s increased stability.
Kim and daughter observe launch
Kim and his little daughter were pictured in state media images holding hands as they watched the missile emerge from a thin billow of vivid, orange-tinted smoke.
The new missile’s maximum range was among the few technical facts that KCNA gave.
That seemed to be a preliminary, developmental test, according to Kim Dong-yub, a professor at Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies, and he predicted several more launches in the future.
Kim stated on Friday that “the developmental process is extremely fast.” “Although we shouldn’t underestimate the Hwasong-18, we also shouldn’t overstate it. The launch from yesterday was unquestionably successful.
According to South Korean military sources, a new type of missile that most likely used solid fuel was launched on Thursday. According to them, the missile traveled 1,000 kilometers before coming to rest in the sea between Japan and Korea.
In Japan’s northernmost major island of Hokkaido, the launch temporarily disrupted rail service and forced inhabitants to be advised to seek refuge in their basements.
The test, which the White House vehemently criticized, “needlessly escalates tensions and risks undermining the security situation in the region,” it claimed.
The U.S. statement stated that diplomacy was still open and that Pyongyang ought to immediately stop its destabilizing measures in favor of diplomatic engagement.
a number of tests
Together with numerous other smaller missile tests, North Korea has launched three intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) just this year. It has argued that a few of the launches are in response to enlarged military exercises between the United States and South Korea that took place last month.
But, North Korea may also fire missiles for a variety of other purposes, such as the development of novel weapons, making a deterrent statement, or reassuring its own citizens of its resolve.
In the upcoming weeks, North Korea is anticipated by the United States and its allies to continue performing significant nuclear tests.
North Korea has conducted numerous tests that it claims are intended to help it achieve its April military spy satellite launch pledge.
Pyongyang has also recently made the suggestion that it might launch a long-range missile on a conventional trajectory rather than an elevated one. In the past, North Korea has launched warheads at a steep angle, partly to avoid sending them over its neighbors’ territories.
On important holidays, North Korea occasionally conducts large-scale weapons tests. North Korea will commemorate the “Day of the Sun,” marking the late nation’s founding leader Kim Il Sung’s 111th birthday, on Saturday.
