North Korea Launches ICBM After 5 Months

High-Angle Launch Followed by 1000km Flight and Impact in the East Sea

On the same day, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the East Sea. This was the second consecutive day of provocations, following the launch of a short-range ballistic missile near Pyongyang the previous night.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "At around 8:24 a.m. today, one ICBM ballistic missile launched from the Pyongyang area toward the East Sea was detected," adding, "It was launched at a high angle, flew approximately 1,000 km, and landed in the East Sea."

This marks North Korea's fifth ICBM launch this year, occurring about five months after the test launch of the new solid-fuel ICBM Hwasong-18 on July 12. The launch appears to be a show of force in response to the agreement to conduct nuclear operations exercises next year to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats during joint military drills, demonstrating a direct threat to the United States with an ICBM provocation.

The missile North Korea fired the previous night flew about 570 km before falling into the sea. Considering the missile's flight distance, it is interpreted as targeting the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Missouri (SSN-780), which had docked at the Busan Naval Base the day before. The straight-line distance from Pyongyang Sunan Airport to Busan is approximately 550 km. North Korea's Ministry of Defense previously condemned the results of the second NCG meeting as a "blatant declaration of nuclear confrontation."

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