This Wednesday’s launch is a “necessary military measure” due to the escalation of international tension, says Kim Jong-Un. The measure was taken with the US elections on November 5 in mind.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stated this Thursday that the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) demonstrates Pyongyang’s “determination to counterattack.”
Wednesday’s launch is an “appropriate military measure aimed at warning rivals, who have intentionally escalated the regional situation and recently posed a threat to national security,” Kim said.
In a statement cited by North Korea’s official KCNA news agency, the leader also stated that North Korea “will never change its strategy to develop its nuclear capabilities.”
The statement confirmed that the projectile tested was an intercontinental ballistic missile, something that had already been advanced by both the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea and the Japanese Minister of Defense, General Nakatani.
Hours earlier, Nakatani had said that the missile could have been of a new type, since the flight duration of 86 minutes and the maximum recorded altitude of more than seven thousand kilometers exceeded data from previous tests carried out by North Korea. The minister also highlighted that the flight distance is estimated at about a thousand kilometers..
The Japanese Coast Guard confirmed that the missile fell outside the country’s exclusive economic zone, about 300 kilometers west of the island of Okushiri, in the Hokkaido subprefecture (northern), Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported. The JCS said North Korea may have tested a new long-range solid-fuel ballistic missile.
Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and conceal and can be launched more quickly than liquid-fueled weapons.
The JCS spokesperson said that The launch was possibly timed with the US presidential election in mind.scheduled for November 5, in an attempt to strengthen North Korea’s negotiating power.
Lee Sung Joon said that The North Korean missile was launched from a high angle, apparently to avoid neighboring countries.
The spokesman for the US National Security Council “strongly” condemned the test and expressed concern about the risks of destabilization in the region. “This launch constitutes a flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions,” Sean Savett said in a statement.
The launch followed a meeting in Washington between the defense ministers of the United States and South Korea, Lloyd Austin and Kim Yong-hyun, respectively. In that meeting, both leaders condemned the sending of North Korean troops to Russia, which, according to Austin, had already approached the Ukrainian front and are equipped with Russian uniforms and materials.
North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles on September 18, in which it said it had successfully tested a new tactical projectile capable of carrying a large warhead.
Source: Observadora
