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Reuters

North Korea flexed its military muscle with the test of a huge new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile dubbed Hwasong-19, state media said on Friday, amid international uproar over its troops deployed to aid Russia in Ukraine.
The launch on Thursday flew higher than any previous North Korean missile, according to the North as well as militaries in South Korea and Japan that tracked its flight deep into space before it splashed down in the ocean between Japan and Russia.
State news agency KCNA lauded it as “the world’s strongest strategic missile”.
While questions remain over North Korea’s ability to guide such a missile and protect a nuclear warhead as it re-enters the atmosphere, the Hwasong-19, like North Korea’s other latest ICBMs, demonstrated the range to strike nearly anywhere in the United States.




“The new-type ICBM proved before the world that the hegemonic position we have secured in the development and manufacture of nuclear delivery means of the same kind is absolutely irreversible,” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said while overseeing the launch, KCNA reported.
The launch, days before Tuesday’s US presidential election, drew swift condemnation from Washington and its allies in South Korea, Japan and Europe, as well as the United Nations secretary general.
“The missile continues to underwrite the growing credibility of North Korea’s strategic deterrent capabilities,” said Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, adding that Kim appeared specifically interested in communicating that message to the United States.
The South Korean and US air forces conducted first-ever joint live-fire attack drills on Friday with unmanned aerial vehicles, flying the Global Hawk and the Reaper drones, dropping GPS-guided munitions in simulated strikes against an enemy target, South Korea’s air force said.
On Friday, South Korea imposed new sanctions on 11 North Korean individuals and four entities over the ICBM test, naming officials for contributing to missile and nuclear development and channelling illegal foreign funds back to the country.
A spokesperson for South Korea’s unification ministry, which handles relations with the North, said the launch could have been for several purposes, including demonstrating military technology, pressuring Washington and diverting attention from the issue of sending North Korean troops to Russia.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky blasted what he called his allies’ “zero” response to Russia’s deployment of North Korean troops for the war in Ukraine, which has also sparked worries that Moscow could provide sensitive military technology to Pyongyang in return.
Russia and North Korea have not denied the troop deployments and have defended their right to help each other.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon was very early in its assessment phase of the missile launch, “and we don’t see any indication at this point that there was Russian involvement”.
KCNA said the launch did not affect the safety of neighbouring countries and was an appropriate military step in the face of threats from North Korea’s enemies.


Although Russia may provide some specialists to assist with inspections or modifications, Kim Dong-yup of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul expressed scepticism it would share sensitive technology with Pyongyang.
“Even if some level of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is possible, they are likely to be very cautious when it comes to core military technologies.”
The Hwasong-19 will deploy alongside the Hwasong-18, which was first launched last year and is also powered by solid fuel, KCNA said.
Solid-fuel missiles do not need to be fuelled immediately ahead of launch, are often easier and safer to operate, and require less logistical support than liquid-fuel weapons.

“It can be stored and moved anywhere, allowing for excellent mobility, stealth and survivability,” said Kim of the University of North Korean Studies.
Photos released by KCNA showed a large, multi-stage missile launched from a canister carried by a transporter-erector-launcher vehicle. The agency showed photos from cameras that appeared to be attached to the missile, taking images of stage separations and the earth.
“The increased length likely means a greater fuel capacity, which directly affects thrust and potentially increases range,” Kim said.
But North Korea’s existing missiles already had the range to reach anywhere in the United States, and the Hwasong-19’s expanded capacity combined with larger payload section is more likely designed to be able to carry heavier, and potentially multiple, nuclear warheads, he said.
“North Korea may continue testing to see if, during the final re-entry phase, the warheads can separate and each head toward individual targets,” Kim added.
The Hwasong-19 flew of 1,001.2km (622.12 miles) for 85 minutes and 56 seconds before landing in the sea off the east coast of the Korean peninsula, with a maximum altitude of 7,687.5km (4,776.79 miles), KCNA said.


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North Korea

North Korea says record test was new Hwasong-19 long-range missile

This photo provided by the North Korean government, shows what it says a test launch of new intercontinental ballistic missile ‘Hwasong-19’ at an undisclosed place in North Korea Thursday. Photo: Korea News Service via AP

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Thursday. Photo: Korea News Service via AP

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter. Photo: KCNA via AFP

Is North Korea’s latest missile test a distraction from troops supply to Russia?

An image released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday shows the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile during a test-fire at an undisclosed location in the country. Photo: KCNA via KNS / AFP

A man watches a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: AFP

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un (left) visiting a strategic missile base at an undisclosed location in the country. Photo: KCNA via KNS / AFP

North Korea’s Kim says longest ICBM test is a warning to enemies

A test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. Photo: KCNA via AFP

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, centre, and a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile in March, 2022. File photo: Korea News Service via AP

North Korean troops in Russian uniforms are heading toward Ukraine, US says

South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong Hyun and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin give a joint press conference at the Pentagon on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un share a toast during a reception at the Mongnangwan Reception House in Pyongyang in June. Sputnik via TNS

Ukraine war: what does North Korea gain by sending troops to Russia?

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a welcoming ceremony in Pyongyang. Photo: dpa

A TV broadcast in Seoul showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visiting a missile base at a location in North Korea. Photo: dpa

A North Korean representative speaking in the UN General Assembly. North Korea has denied sending troops to Russia to help Moscow fight Ukraine. Photo: AFP

News

Asia

East Asia

North Korea lauded the Hwasong-19 that was test-fired Thursday as ‘the world’s strongest strategic missile’


North Korea lauded the Hwasong-19 that was test-fired Thursday as ‘the world’s strongest strategic missile’.
