North Korea confirmed on Friday that it had tested its new Hwasong-17 intercontinental missile (ICBM).a higher-ranking weapon whose launch further tenses the situation on the Korean peninsula and may lead to new UN sanctions.
(Read: South Korea mobilizes troops after launching a new North Korean missile)
North Korean media reported what was suspected Thursday after the test; what is being fired is a Hwasong-17, a huge missile exhibited for the first time in October 2020 but which had not been launched until now, leading a large part of the expert community to think that the projectile still posed an operational challenge to Pyongyang.
(You are interested in: North Korea fired a ballistic missile that fell on Japanese territory)
The missile, “launched from Pyongyang International Airport, climbed to a maximum height of 6,248.5 kilometers, flew 1,090 kilometers in 4,052 seconds (67 and a half minutes) and landed precisely at the planned location, in the high seas of the East Sea of Korea (name given to the Sea of Japan in the two Koreas),” reported the agency KCNA.
The Hwasong-17 was launched at an almost right angle to make a very steep parabola (and to “take into account the security of neighboring countries,” according to KCNA) and fell into Japanese waters just 150 kilometers from Hokkaido, causing protests from Tokyo over Pyongyang’s failure to notify maritime and air traffic authorities.
Leader Kim Jong-un signed the launch order in his own handwriting, as the regime does with ICBM tests.and, clad in sunglasses and a leather jacket, witnessed the test from an adapted vehicle located near the airport in the North Korean capital.
The images shown by the North Korean media amply showed the Hwasong-17, an imposing weapon about 23 meters long that seems to have the capacity to fly 15,000 kilometersputting within range almost any point on the planet.
As part of the rehearsal, Kim Jong-un stressed that North Korean troops “remain fully prepared for a long-term confrontation with the US imperialists,” according to KCNA.
Kim also stated that this new strategic weapon is an additional guarantor for “state security” and solidifies the “self-sufficient defense” of the country. The leader further spoke of equipping the missile “with incomparably superior military strike capabilities.”
This is a possible allusion to what analysts suspect; that he Hwasong-17 could be capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads (MIRV), which would allow it to hit different targets simultaneously with a single projectile, making this the most dangerous weapon in North Korea.
KCNA stressed that the development of the new missile has been carried out “in a short period of time” and that Thursday’s test “clearly demonstrated that the essential elements of the weapon system precisely met the design requirements.”
The rejection of the international community
This is a violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and a serious threat to international and regional peace and security.
The European Union (EU) condemned “strongly” this Friday the launch by North Korea of its new missile intercontinental aircraft (ICBM) Hwasong-17.
Josep Borrell called on Pyongyang “to refrain from any other action that could increase international or regional tensions.”
The head of community diplomacy insisted that North Korea must comply with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council “by abandoning all its nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missile programs and existing nuclear programs, in a complete, verifiable and irreversible”, as well as “immediately cease all related activities”.
In his view, North Korea cannot have the status of a nuclear-weapon state and called on all UN members to take steps to fully implement UN Security Council sanctions.
As he said, the EU is ready to “apply and complement”, if necessary, any measure that the UN Security Council may adopt in response to this event.
“North Korea’s flagrant violations of international law divert resources from its own peopleimpede its economic development and undermine the well-being of its population”, emphasized Borrell.
For all these reasons, the EU urged Pyongyang to stop its destabilizing actions, respect international law and resume dialogue with relevant partners.
Ahead of the 10th review conference of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, the EU insisted that North Korea return to abide by that agreement as a non-nuclear weapon state and the International Energy Agency’s comprehensive safeguards agreement. Atomic (IAEA), and apply the so-called Additional Protocol.
At the same time, the EU urged Pyongyang to sign and ratify the comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty.INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from EFE and AFP
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