North Korea's 'Hwasong-17' ICBM Flight Fails After Stage 2 Separation... Yoon Urges Strengthening Extended Deterrence Capability

Missile Achieves Top Speed of Mach 15... Below Typical ICBM Speed
Extended US-ROK Joint Air Force Exercises Amid North Korea's Continuous Provocations

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] North Korea launched its latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-17, but it is analyzed that the flight failed after the second stage separation.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 3rd, North Korea launched the ICBM toward the East Sea from the Sunan area of Pyongyang at around 7:40 a.m. that day. The ICBM's maximum altitude was about 1920 km, flight distance 760 km, and maximum speed approximately Mach 15 (15 times the speed of sound).

After the launch, the first and second stage propulsion units separated successfully. However, it is reported that the warhead's thrust weakened during flight, causing it to fail to maintain speed. The missile's maximum speed of Mach 15 is lower than the Mach 17 top speed of the improved Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) North Korea launched on the 4th of last month. Additionally, ICBM speeds are generally known to be around Mach 20. It is said that after separation, the warhead flew without sufficient thrust and fell earlier than the planned trajectory.

The military assessed this missile as North Korea's latest ICBM, the Hwasong-17. Meanwhile, Japan stated that "the missile was lost over the East Sea," but our military reportedly tracked the missile's trajectory until the end. Japanese authorities detected the missile's flight distance as 750 km and altitude about 2000 km.

At around 8:39 a.m. on the same day, North Korea also launched two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) from the Kaechon area in South Pyongan Province. These missiles are presumed to be part of the series including the North Korean versions of Iskander (KN-23), ATACMS (KN-24), and the super-large multiple rocket launcher (KN-25), which North Korea has recently launched consecutively. The detected flight distance was about 330 km, altitude about 70 km, and speed approximately Mach 5.

In response to North Korea's continuous provocations, the South Korean and U.S. Air Forces decided to extend the joint air exercise "Vigilant Storm," which began on the 31st of last month. The exercise was originally scheduled to end the next day. The content of the extended training period will be decided after consultations between South Korea and the U.S.

The top nuclear representatives of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan condemned North Korea's missile launches through a trilateral phone consultation that morning. The South Korean government, which designated 15 individuals and 16 organizations in North Korea for independent sanctions last month, is considering additional sanctions.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, through the Standing Committee of the National Security Council (NSC) held at the National Crisis Management Center in the basement of the Yongsan Presidential Office, instructed, "Strengthen the execution capability of the South Korea-U.S. extended deterrence and expand South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation," and added, "As North Korea escalates provocations, ensure there is no gap in protecting the lives and safety of the people and make thorough preparations for the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture."

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "North Korea's successive ballistic missile launches are serious provocations that undermine international peace and stability," and "They are clear violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, and we strongly condemn them and urge immediate cessation."

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