Military Authorities: No Signs of North Korea ICBM Launch

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been confirmed that there is no indication that North Korea is preparing to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) yet.

On the 3rd, a military official responded to a question asking, "Are there any signs detected in advance regarding ICBM launch trends?" with this answer.

He added, "In the past, there have been cases where North Korea notified organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) or the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under the guise of 'satellite launches,' which allowed the media to be aware of it in advance," but he also explained, "From the Joint Chiefs of Staff level, militarily speaking, South Korea and the U.S. are currently monitoring together, but there are no noteworthy changes."

It is known that North Korea is currently conducting winter training. On the same day, Kim Jun-rak, the spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated at the Ministry of National Defense regular briefing regarding North Korean military trends, "The North Korean military is conducting winter training," and added, "Regarding nuclear and missile facilities, South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies are closely tracking and monitoring related trends, but so far, there are no noteworthy changes."

North Korea hinted at reconsidering the withdrawal of the moratorium on nuclear tests and ICBM test launches during the Workers' Party Political Bureau meeting results released on the 20th of last month, and has been consecutively launching missiles since the beginning of the year.

Because of this, North Korea, which launched missiles seven times in January alone, is expected to continue military provocations. Following the intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launch on the 30th of last month, it is possible that nuclear tests or ICBM test launches may be conducted.

This pattern of North Korea is similar to when former President Donald Trump took office in 2017. That year, North Korea conducted 24 missile launches along with nuclear tests. After escalating the North Korean nuclear crisis to its peak, North Korea dramatically met with the U.S. president three times. Considering this, North Korea is highly likely to carry out more intense provocations around April 16, the 80th anniversary of Kim Jong-il's birth, and April 15, the 110th anniversary of Kim Il-sung's birth. There is also a possibility of holding a large-scale military parade mobilizing various weapons, including ICBMs, during these events.

The next military provocation is likely to be the "tactical nuclear weapons that can be used for multiple purposes" proposed by Chairman Kim. There is increasing weight on the possibility of testing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) or solid-fuel ICBMs. Solid-fuel missiles can store fuel in advance, allowing for a shorter launch preparation time and rapid strikes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.