2023-07-13 00:14:59
North Korea has tested its latest intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-18, North Korea’s state media reported, saying the weapon is the basis of its nuclear strike force and warning the United States and other adversaries.
The United States and leaders in Seoul, Tokyo and other countries condemned the launch, which was reported by the South Korean and Japanese militaries at the time.
Hwasong-18 was first launched in April. It is North Korea’s first intercontinental ballistic missile that uses solid propellants, which could allow for faster deployment of missiles during wartime.
“The test-fire is a fundamental operation aimed at further development of the republic’s strategic nuclear force and, at the same time, is a strong practical warning” to adversaries, the official KCNA news agency said.
The agency’s report accused Washington of increasing tension by deploying submarines and bombers on the Korean peninsula and making plans for a nuclear war with South Korean allies, and said that the military security situation “has reached the stage of a nuclear crisis in the post-Cold War era.”
The report said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test, and said that his country will take increasingly strong measures to protect itself until the United States and its allies abandon their hostile policies.
The 74-minute flight time of the Hwasong-18 was the longest ever in a North Korean missile test, KCNA said, adding that the second and third stages were flying on a high trajectory that reached a high altitude for safety.
“The launch experience did not have a negative impact on the security of neighboring countries,” she added.
North Korea said the missile flew 1,001 km at an altitude of 6,648 km.
Japan said the missile fell into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula, about 250 km west of Okushiri Island in northern Japan.
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