North Korea launches long-range missiles, indicating technical improvements

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Thursday test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in nearly a year, demonstrating a potential advance in its ability to launch long-range nuclear attacks on the U.S. mainland to carry out

The launch was likely intended to attract US attention just days before the US elections and to respond to condemnation over the North’s reported deployment of troops to Russia in support of the war against Ukraine. Some experts speculated that Russia provided technological assistance to North Korea during the launch.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed the launch and called it “an appropriate military action” to demonstrate North Korea’s determination to respond to its enemies’ moves that endanger the North’s security, according to the North Korean state media.

Kim said the enemies’ “various adventurous military maneuvers” highlighted the importance of North Korea’s nuclear capability. He reaffirmed that North Korea will never give up its policy of strengthening its nuclear forces.

North Korea has steadfastly argued that advancing its nuclear capabilities is the only option to cope with the expansion of U.S. and South Korean military training, although Washington and Seoul have repeatedly said they have no intention of to attack Korea. Experts say North Korea is using its rivals’ drills as a pretext to expand its nuclear arsenal and make concessions when diplomacy resumes.

The North Korean statement came hours after neighboring countries said they had discovered the North’s first ICBM test since December 2023 and condemned it as a provocation that undermines international peace.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea could have tested a new long-range ballistic missile at a steep angle in an effort to avoid neighboring countries. Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and conceal and can be launched faster than weapons with liquid propellants.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters that the missile’s flight time of 86 minutes and maximum altitude of more than 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) exceeded corresponding data from previous North Korean missile tests.

If a rocket flies higher and longer than before, it means the engine’s thrust has improved. Given that previous ICBM tests by North Korea have already proven they can theoretically reach the US mainland, the latest launch was likely related to an effort to explore whether a missile could carry a larger nuclear warhead, experts say.

Jung Chang Wook, head of the Korea Defense Study Forum think tank in Seoul, said it was fair to say the missile involved in Thursday’s launch could carry North Korea’s largest and most destructive nuclear warhead. He said the launch was also likely intended to test other technological aspects that North Korea needs to master to further develop its ICBM program.

North Korea has made progress in its missile technologies in recent years, but many foreign experts believe the country has yet to acquire a functioning nuclear-armed missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland. They say North Korea likely has short-range missiles capable of launching nuclear strikes across South Korea.

There are concerns that North Korea could seek Russian help to perfect its nuclear missiles in return for allegedly sending thousands of troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and equipment are heading toward Ukraine, in what he called a dangerous and destabilizing development.

Lee Choon Geun, an honorary researcher at South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute, said initial results from Thursday’s launch suggested Russia may have provided a key propellant component that can boost a rocket’s thrust. He said higher thrust allows a missile to carry a larger payload, fly with more stability and hit a target more accurately.

Jung said he speculates that Russian experts may have provided technological advice on missile launches since Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea to meet with Kim in June.

Kwon Yong Soo, an honorary professor at South Korea’s National Defense University, said North Korea has likely tested a multi-warhead system for an existing ICBM. “There is no reason for North Korea to develop another new ICBM when it already has several systems with a range of 10,000 to 15,000 kilometers (6,200 to 9,300 miles) that can reach any location on Earth,” Kwon said.

North Korea’s confirmation of an ICBM test came unusually quickly, as North Korea usually describes its weapons tests a day after they take place.

“North Korea probably could have thought that its rivals would look down on the country after giving away so many military resources to Russia,” said Yang Uk, an expert at South Korea’s Asan Institute Institute for Policy Studies. “The launch may have been intended as a demonstration to show what it is capable of, regardless of troop deployments or other movements.”

U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett called the launch “a blatant violation” of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions that “unnecessarily increases tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region.” Savett said the US will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and its South Korean and Japanese allies.

South Korean military spokesman Lee Sung Joon said the North Korean missile may have been fired from a 12-axis launch vehicle, the North’s largest mobile launch platform. The unveiling of the new launch vehicle in September had sparked speculation that North Korea could develop an ICBM larger than the existing one.

South Korea’s military intelligence told lawmakers on Wednesday that North Korea has also likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test. North Korea was about to test an ICBM.

Over the past two years, Kim has used Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an opportunity to increase weapons tests and threats while expanding military cooperation with Moscow. South Korea, the U.S. and others say North Korea has already shipped artillery, missiles and other conventional weapons to replenish Russia’s dwindling weapons stockpiles.

North Korea’s possible participation in the war in Ukraine would represent a serious escalation. In addition to Russian nuclear and missile technologies, experts say Kim Jong Un is likely also hoping for Russian help in building a reliable space-based surveillance system and modernizing his country’s conventional weapons. They say Kim will likely receive hundreds of millions of dollars from Russia for his soldiers’ wages if they are stationed in Russia for a year.