ICBM Launch Imminent... Busy Diplomatic Scene

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho, Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu] It has been reported that signs of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch have been detected at North Korea's Sunan Airport. With speculation that North Korea may launch an ICBM this week, concrete movements are emerging. As North Korea's activities intensify, Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor at the White House, contacted Yang Jiechi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo, and the trilateral cooperation policy among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan was reaffirmed.

Voice of America (VOA) reported on the 15th that satellite imagery service "Planet Labs" captured satellite photos of Sunan Airfield on the 12th, revealing a new concrete foundation installed between the runway and taxiway north of Sunan Airport. The concrete foundation serves as a support base when missiles are launched from mobile launch vehicles.

The construction of the concrete foundation at Sunan Airfield is estimated to have taken place between the 8th and 9th. It is also possible that a wider area of concrete was laid than the foundation confirmed in the photos taken on the 12th. In the past, North Korea built concrete pads capable of supporting mobile launch vehicles, parked the vehicles, and launched missiles. The Hwasong-14, an ICBM-class missile launched in July 2017 in the Kusong area of North Pyongan Province, was fired from a concrete foundation, and the Hwasong-15 launched in November of the same year was also positioned on a similar facility with a 9-axle launch vehicle.

South Korean and U.S. military authorities are strengthening their readiness posture. The U.S. Air Force reportedly flew its main signals intelligence reconnaissance aircraft RC-135V and high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft U-2S over the West Sea and the Seoul metropolitan area for reconnaissance flights the day before.

Shin Jong-woo, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum (KODEF), said, "The fact that the concrete supporting the launch pad was installed at Pyongyang's Sunan Airport rather than Dongchang-ri, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, where the West Sea Satellite Launching Station is located, means that the launch could take place around next month's Day of the Sun, strengthening internal cohesion among Pyongyang residents."

The trilateral cooperation system among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan is also operating closely. The strengthening of the trilateral cooperation system is interpreted as a measure to counter the China-Russia alliance surrounding North Korea's successive military provocations.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sung Kim, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, held a trilateral telephone consultation on the 14th with Noh Kyu-duk, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Takehiro Funakoshi, Director of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The three senior representatives pointed out and condemned North Korea's recent successive ballistic missile launches as violations of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. They agreed to closely monitor North Korea's related developments and respond through close cooperation among the three countries.

In particular, after the trilateral consultation, the U.S. strongly urged China's cooperation on North Korea issues through face-to-face talks. Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, said at a briefing after meeting Yang Jiechi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo, in Rome, Italy, on the 14th (local time), "We are seriously concerned about North Korea's recent provocative actions."

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