North Korea fires ‘powerful missiles’ in first test since reports of troop deployments to Russia

Last updated:Oct 31, 2024 08:40 IST

North Korea launches a powerful missile in its first test since allegations of troop deployment in Russia

A man watches a television screen showing a news broadcast showing file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on October 31, 2024. (AFP)

North Korea launched one of its “most powerful” missiles on Thursday, the South Korean military said, marking Kim Jong Un’s first weapons test since he was accused of sending soldiers to Russia.

Seoul had warned a day earlier that the nuclear-armed North was preparing to test a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or even conduct a nuclear test ahead of next week’s US elections.

The launch came just hours after the US and South Korean defense chiefs called on Pyongyang to withdraw its troops from Russia, warning that North Korean soldiers in Russian uniforms were being deployed for possible action against Ukraine.

Seoul’s military said early Thursday that it had “detected a long-range ballistic missile” fired from near Pyongyang, adding that it had traveled about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) after being fired at a high trajectory.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said they had been monitoring launch preparations in real time with allies Tokyo and Washington, and would respond with “joint exercises involving U.S. strategic assets,” which always infuriates the North.

Tokyo also confirmed the launch, with Japan’s defense minister saying it was an “ICBM class” missile that flew longer than any other missile previously tested by the North.

The rocket was in the air for about 86 minutes and reached an altitude of 7,000 kilometers, according to Tokyo.

“This ballistic missile had the longest flight time and we estimate that its flight altitude was the highest we have ever seen,” Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters.

North Korea typically tests its longest-range, most powerful missiles on a so-called elevated trajectory — up, not out — that the country says should avoid overflying neighboring countries.

– Divert attention? –

North Korea’s missile launch “appears to have been carried out to divert attention from international criticism of the troop deployment,” Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.

Seoul has long accused the nuclear-armed North of sending weapons to help Moscow fight Kiev and alleged that Pyongyang has deployed soldiers en masse in the wake of Kim Jong Un’s signing of a mutual defense treaty with the Russian president Vladimir Putin in June.

South Korea has said the troop deployment poses a “significant security threat,” and its spy agency has noted domestic problems for the North as a result of the move, with soldiers’ families reportedly saddened by the news.

With the launch of the ICBM, “North Korea may also be trying to reverse the fears of military families, including those of deployed personnel,” Yang added.

South Korea’s military told lawmakers on Wednesday that preparations were “nearly complete for a long-range ICBM-class missile” and that a launch could be aimed at testing the North’s atmospheric reentry technology.

Seoul has long warned that Russia may provide new technology or expertise to Pyongyang in exchange for weapons and troops to help them in the fight against Ukraine.

It is possible that “Russia has actually provided new technology to reenter the atmosphere,” which would mean that the launch was a new model of ICBM, Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who heads the World Institute for North Korea Studies. , told AFP.

But it is more likely that Thursday’s test was an attempt to distract from the troop deployment and “grab the world’s attention ahead of the US presidential election” rather than experimenting with new technology, Ahn added to.

Seoul, a major arms exporter, has said it is examining whether to send weapons directly to Ukraine in response, something it has previously opposed due to a long-standing domestic policy that prevents it from supplying weapons in active conflicts.

North Korea has denied sending troops, but last week its vice foreign minister said in the first comment in state media that if such a deployment were to take place, it would be in accordance with international law.

Pyongyang has been barred from tests using ballistic technology by multiple rounds of U.N. sanctions, but leader Kim has stepped up launches this year, with experts warning he could test weapons before delivering them to Russia.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)

Location:

Seoul, South Korea