The missile was launched shortly after Pyongyang conducted tests of a “highthrust solidfuel engine,” which state media described as important “to the development of a new type of strategic weapon.”
STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
THE North Korea fired an “unidentified ballistic missile” that Sunday, the 18th, days later Pyongyang announce the successful testing of a solid fuel engine for a new military system, the South Korean military said. “North Korea has fired an unidentified ballistic missile” into the North Sea Japanannounced the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Koreal. The missile was launched shortly after Pyongyang tested a “highthrust solidfuel engine,” which state media described as an important test “for the development of a new type of strategic weapon.” Despite harsh international sanctions against its war program, North Korea has built up an arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). All ICBMs known to date use liquid fuel, and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Unmade the development of solidfuel engines a strategic priority for more advanced missiles.
The North Korean dictator said earlier this year he wanted North Korea to have the world’s most powerful nuclear power and that its status as a nuclear country was “irreversible”. While recent engine tests point to that goal, it’s unclear how far along Pyongyang is in developing a solidfuel rocket, analysts said. North Korea conducted an unprecedented number of weapons tests in 2022, including launching its most advanced ICBM. Washington and Seoul have warned that this could mark the start of North Korea’s seventh nuclear test.
*With information from AFP