North Korea says it has tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with leader Kim Jong-un saying it marked a major step in Pyongyang’s capacity to conduct a nuclear counterstrike, state media reported.
South Korea’s military said it had detected one “medium range or longer” ballistic missile launched on Thursday morning on a lofted trajectory – up, not outwards – from the Pyongyang area and it flew 1,000km (620 miles).
The launch triggered a scare in northern Japan, where Hokkaido residents were told to take cover, though there turned out to be no danger.
“The test proved … the new intercontinental ballistic missile’s military efficiency as a strategic attack capability,” the North’s official news agency KCNA said.
Kim guided the Hwasong-18 missile test and said the ICBM’s development “will greatly reorganise our strategic deterrence and reinforce effectiveness of our nuclear counterattack”, according to KCNA.
The North Korean leader watched the test launch alongside his daughter Ju Ae.
Developing a solid-fuel ICBM has long been seen as a key goal for North Korea, as it could help the North deploy its missiles faster.
All of Pyongyang’s known intercontinental ballistic missiles are liquid-fuelled, and solid-fuel ICBMs that can be launched from land or submarines have long been at the top of Kim’s wishlist.
Such missiles are easier to store and transport, more stable and quicker to prepare for launch, and thus harder to detect and destroy pre-emptively.
The latest launch came days after Kim called for strengthening war deterrence in a “more practical and offensive” manner to counter what North Korea called moves of aggression by the United States.
North Korea has criticised recent US-South Korean joint military exercises as escalating tensions and has stepped up weapons tests in recent months.
At a military parade in Pyongyang in February, North Korea showed off a record number of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles, including what analysts said was possibly a new solid-fuel ICBM.
The announcement comes just before North Korea is set to mark one of its most important political anniversaries, the Day of the Sun, on Saturday.
The date commemorates founding leader Kim Il-sung’s birth anniversary and has typically been celebrated with significant weapons tests or military parades.
With Reuters and Agence France-Presse
