North Korea on Saturday fired a long-range missile from its capital into the sea off Japan, according to its neighbours, a day after it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises.
According to the South Korean and Japanese militaries, the missile was fired on a high angle, apparently to avoid reaching the neighbours' territories and travelled about 900 kilometres at a maximum altitude of 5,700 kilometres during an hourlong flight.
North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Friday threatened with "unprecedently" strong action against its rivals, after South Korea announced a series of planned military exercises with the United States aimed at sharpening their response to the North's growing threats. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tokyo was closely communicating with Washington and Seoul over the launch, which he called "an act of violence that escalates provocation toward the international order."
Those missiles included a new system experts say is possibly linked to the North's stated desire to acquire a solid-fuel ICBM. North Korea's existing ICBMs, including Hwasong-17s, use liquid propellants that require pre-launch injections and cannot remain fueled for prolonged periods. A solid-fuel alternative would take less time to prepare and is easier to move around on vehicles, providing less opportunity to be spotted.
Kim doubled down on his nuclear push entering 2023, calling for an "exponential increase" in the country's nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nuclear weapons targeting "enemy" South Korea and the development of more advanced ICBMs. South Korea and the U.S. will also hold a one-day tabletop exercise next week at the Pentagon to sharpen a response to a potential use of nuclear weapons by North Korea.
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