North Korea launches a ballistic missile that could be a new sort of weapon.

AP Photo/Lee Jin-man 
 
North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a month, presumably to test a new type of mobile, harder-to-detect weapons system.North Korea fired the missile into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Thursday, according to South Korean officials, continuing the North's provocative missile tests. 
The launch caused Japan to issue an evacuation order for a northern island, which was later rescinded, demonstrating North Korea's neighbors' caution over its increasing missile threats. 
According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missile launched at a high angle from near Pyongyang and crashed in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan after a 620-mile flight. 
They stated that the missile had a medium to long range. 
The US National Security Council referred to it as a long-range missile, but Japan's defense minister referred to it as an ICBM-class weapon. 
 


According to a defense official who requested anonymity due to office rules, South Korea believes North Korea launched a new type of ballistic missile, potentially utilizing solid fuel. 
If the launch involves a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, it would be the North's first test of such a weapon. 
Liquid fuel must be injected before the weapon is fired, whereas solid-propellant weapons are more difficult to detect in advance because the fuel is already loaded within. 
All of North Korea's past ICBM tests used liquid-fueled weapons. 
A solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is one of the primary high-tech weapons that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promised to develop in order to better deal with what he deems US military threats. 
He also wants a multiwarhead missile, a nuclear-powered submarine, a hypersonic missile, and a spy satellite. 
The latest launch, according to US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, "needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region." 
Watson stated that the US will take all necessary measures to guarantee the security of the American homeland as well as its allies in South Korea and Japan. 
During an emergency meeting of South Korea's National Security Council (NSC), authorities criticized the launch and emphasized the importance of strengthening three-way security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo.



Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida informed reporters in Tokyo that a Japanese NSC meeting would be held to discuss the launch. 
The top nuclear envoys of Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo also spoke by phone, calling for a "decisive and united international response" to North Korean provocations, as well as increased measures to halt illegal North Korean operations that purportedly fund its weapons program. 
North Korea frequently conducts missile tests over international waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. 
All of its previous ICBM launches occurred in the region, but on elevated trajectories to avoid neighboring countries. 
South Korea and Japan do not normally issue evacuation orders for North Korean launches unless they establish the weapons went in the direction of their respective borders. 
Yasukazu Hamada, Japan's defense minister, informed reporters that the North Korean missile launched on Thursday did not reach Japan's exclusive economic zone. 
Nonetheless, the Japanese authorities advised citizens on the northernmost island of Hokkaido to take refuge. 
The government then amended and revoked the missile alert, claiming that its study revealed no probability of a missile landing near Hokkaido. 
Although it was unclear why Japan gave the order, the episode signaled that Tokyo was concerned about North Korea's expanding missile threats. 
When asked about the veracity of Japan's information dissemination concerning prospective North Korean launches, Prime Minister Kishida stated the administration is reviewing relevant information, including notifications. 

By Covenant 



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