North Korea Responds to 'Pyongyang 30-Minute Cut' Minuteman-3 Test Launch with "Nuclear for Nuclear"

US ICBM Test Launch... Korean Delegation Also Observes
North Korea "Shows Who the Target of US Nuclear Forces Is"

North Korea threatened to respond with the principle of "nuclear for nuclear" in retaliation against the United States' test launch of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 'Minuteman-3'. The Minuteman-3 is considered one of the three major U.S. nuclear forces capable of reaching Pyongyang from California within 30 minutes.

On the 3rd, through an article by the military commentator of the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea falsely claimed that the U.S. Minuteman-3 test launch had failed, stating, "Regardless of whether the U.S. targets us with strategic nuclear weapons or brings in tactical nuclear weapons, our military response stance of 'nuclear for nuclear' remains absolutely unchanged." The article particularly criticized the presence of the South Korean Ministry of National Defense delegation as observers, saying, "It clearly shows who the target of the U.S. nuclear forces is." The military commentator's statement is a format used by North Korea to express important external views, especially on military matters.

Heo Tae-geun, Director of Defense Policy at the Ministry of National Defense, observed the test launch of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 'Minuteman-3' on the 31st of last month (local time) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA, together with Bipan Narang, the U.S. Department of Defense representative of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Space Policy.
[Photo by Ministry of National Defense]

Earlier, on the 31st of last month (local time), the United States conducted a Minuteman-3 test launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense delegation, led by Heo Tae-geun, Director of Defense Policy, observed the test launch. This was the first time in seven years and the second time ever that a South Korean delegation observed a U.S. ICBM launch since 2016. It is known that the U.S. proposed the observation as part of strengthening the effectiveness of extended deterrence between South Korea and the U.S. under the 'Washington Declaration.'

The military commentator stated, "We will continue military activities to strengthen deterrence on the Korean Peninsula and in the region and to enhance strategic stability," adding, "The Korean People's Army is full of determination to faithfully fulfill its constitutional duty to defend national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the rights and interests of the people by responding immediately, overwhelmingly, and decisively to the reckless military provocations of war fanatics."

Meanwhile, the Minuteman-3 is reported to have been launched from an underground silo equipped with multiple warheads during this test launch, flying approximately 7,600 km before landing near Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Minuteman-3 is considered one of the three major U.S. nuclear forces alongside strategic bombers and strategic nuclear submarines (SSBNs). It can carry up to three nuclear warheads with a maximum yield of 450 kilotons (kt; 1 kt equals the destructive power of 1,000 tons of TNT) and can strike anywhere on Earth within 30 minutes, including reaching Pyongyang from California within 30 minutes. The Minuteman system, first introduced in the 1970s, has been upgraded with cutting-edge technology for new missions, and the U.S. is reported to have up to 400 Minuteman-3 missiles in its arsenal.

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