Now that the world is focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Pyongyang appears to have tested a weapon that could threaten the US mainland. It remained unclear whether the launch was a new and untested “monster missile” or the previously tested Hwasong-15, which had the range to launch a single nuclear warhead anywhere in the United States.
The story continues below the ad
The start pulled a harsh condemnation from the White House, which described it as a “blatant violation” of several UN Security Council resolutions. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts on Thursday and agreed to coordinate a response, including possible new sanctions, according to the Japanese and South Korean governments.
“We call on all countries to hold the DPRK accountable for such violations and call on the DPRK to come to the table for serious negotiations,” said spokesman Jen Psaki, referring to the country by its official acronym. “The door to diplomacy has not closed, but Pyongyang must immediately halt its destabilizing actions.”
For weeks, officials had warned North Korea could test its new Hwasong-17, believed to be the world’s largest mobile ICBM and designed to carry multiple warheads. North Korea unveiled the weapon at a Workers’ Party of Korea military parade in 2020.
The story continues below the ad
As with the 2017 ICBM launch, the rocket climbed a very steep trajectory that still shows it could reach the United States — and this time it flew even higher and further. According to Japanese and South Korean estimates, it traveled up to 683 miles (1,100 km) and as high as 3,850 miles (6,200 km). It flew for 71 minutes – 17 minutes longer than the Hwasong-15 test in 2017.
If the missile were launched on a normal trajectory, it would reach the east coast of the United States, Japanese media reported, citing unnamed officials.
Makoto Oniki, Japan’s deputy defense minister, said the missile is believed to be a new type of ICBM due to its higher altitude. The test was conducted near the Sunan area of Pyongyang, South Korean military officials said, where two launches believed to be linked to ICBMs were recently conducted.
The story continues below the ad
In response to the launch, South Korea fired its own missiles from land, sea and air to demonstrate its “ability and readiness to respond and punish immediately,” the military said.
The test comes at a particularly volatile time on the Korean peninsula, which is in the midst of a presidential transition under a new leader, Yoon Suk-yeol, who has vowed to be tougher on North Korea than President Moon Jae-in’s pro-engagement Administration. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is spellbound by the crisis in Eastern Europe.
“The action threatens the peace and security of our country, our region and the international community and is absolutely unacceptable,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a meeting of the Group of Seven shortly after landing in Brussels. “In the future, in cooperation with the US and South Korea and relevant countries, we will consider future measures, including sanctions.”
The story continues below the ad
In 2018, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un unilaterally declared a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests, while launching a spate of diplomacy that included summits with leaders of South Korea and the United States. North Korea recently warned it could lift its own moratorium after talks stalled, and Thursday’s launch did just that.
In a statement, Moon said Kim “broke the moratorium on ICBM that he promised the international community and caused a serious threat to the Korean Peninsula, the surrounding region and the international community.”
Before Thursday, authorities had said North Korea launched parts of Hwasong-17 on February 26 and March 4. During those tests, the system was not launched at its full range or capability, officials in Seoul and Washington warned.
Pyongyang had not specified the types of missiles used in those tests and said the launches were to develop a spy satellite system.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it was analyzing whether Thursday’s launch included the new system.
The story continues below the ad
Military tensions on the Korean peninsula have increased amid a surge in North Korean weapons testing activity since the beginning of the year. Thursday’s launch comes just eight days after a suspected ballistic missile launched from a Pyongyang airport detonated in midair.
South Korea, meanwhile, plans to conduct its own test of a solid-fuel space rocket this month, in line with its plans to develop military satellites to monitor North Korea. April will also see joint US-South Korean military exercises, which North Korea considers “hostile.”
Thursday’s launch comes as nuclear negotiations between North Korea and the United States remain deadlocked since a summit between Kim and President Donald Trump collapsed over sanctions lifting.
The story continues below the ad
The UN Security Council imposed a series of draconian sanctions on North Korea after the spate of nuclear and missile tests in 2017. Thursday’s launch comes about two weeks after the US Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on North Korea, amid signs the country was preparing for an ICBM test.
Despite North Korea’s missile tests since the fall, China and Russia — two permanent members of the UN Security Council — have declined to impose new sanctions on North Korea because the country has failed to test long-range missiles.