North Korea's Kim Jong-un Oversees Hwasong-17 Missile Launch with Daughter on 18th... "Reaffirming Supreme Capability"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 18th, North Korea's Workers' Party General Secretary Kim Jong-un watched the test launch of the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-17 with his family.

Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and Rodong Sinmun reported on the 19th that General Secretary Kim personally supervised the new ICBM test launch on site. The agency stated, "Amid the strict implementation of our Party and the Republic's government's top national defense construction strategy to continuously enhance ultra-powerful and absolute nuclear deterrence, the test launch of the new intercontinental ballistic missile of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's strategic forces was conducted on the 18th."

Rodong Sinmun also reported the event under the headline, "Nuclear for nuclear, direct confrontation for direct confrontation: Solemn declaration of the Workers' Party of Korea's unwavering will to confront the enemy."

Both media outlets quoted General Secretary Kim after the test launch saying, "We have once again confirmed that our nuclear forces have secured another reliable and strongest capability capable of deterring any nuclear threat," and added, "The dangerously escalating military threats by the United States and hostile forces around our country recently demand even more urgent and practical acceleration in enhancing overwhelming nuclear deterrence."

They also emphasized the necessity of "showing clearer actions so that the U.S., South Korean forces, and their followers reconsider their military provocations against us as self-destructive and realize that wise choices must be made to improve their security environment under the current situation."

The agency further reported that General Secretary Kim stated, "We must clearly demonstrate our Party and government's strong retaliatory will against the enemy's war exercises aimed at destroying peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the region," and declared, "The more the U.S. imperialists persist in 'strengthening extended deterrence' for their allies and war exercises, and the more they engage in military posturing on the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas, the more our military response will become offensive."

KCNA emphasized that General Secretary Kim solemnly declared, "If the enemy continues to brazenly bring in nuclear strike means and threaten us, our Party and the Republic's government will resolutely respond with nuclear for nuclear, direct confrontation for direct confrontation."

He also stressed, "In the defense science research sector, we must accelerate the development of our own Juche strategic weapons, and the intercontinental ballistic missile units and all tactical nuclear operation units must maintain a high level of vigilance and strengthen training to perfectly carry out their critical strategic missions under any circumstances and at any time."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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The agency explained, "The test launch was carried out under an unignorable situation where the reckless military confrontation provocations of the U.S. and hostile forces, persistently pushing the military-political situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of danger, and their hypocritical and robber-like sophistries that denounce the sovereign state's right to self-defense as provocations are even being rationalized on the UN stage."

North Korea revealed that the new ICBM Hwasong-17 reached a maximum apogee of 6,040.9 km and flew a distance of 999.2 km for 4,135 seconds (69 minutes). KCNA and Rodong Sinmun added that "it accurately landed in the designated area in the international waters of the East Sea of Korea."

Earlier, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that at around 10:15 a.m. the previous day, they detected one ICBM launched from the Sunan area of Pyongyang toward the East Sea. The missile was detected flying approximately 1,000 km, at an altitude of about 6,100 km, and at a speed of about Mach 22 (22 times the speed of sound).

KCNA reported that General Secretary Kim personally came to the test launch site "together with his beloved son and wife." This is the first time that Kim's daughter has appeared in a public setting.

The photos released by KCNA on that day showed a young girl dressed in a white winter outfit holding General Secretary Kim's hand, walking beside the missile or watching the launch.

North Korea's disclosure of the missile's name and the fact that General Secretary Kim's family observed the launch reflects confidence in the success of the launch.

This ICBM launch came 15 days after the presumed Hwasong-17 ICBM was launched from the Sunan area of Pyongyang on the morning of the 3rd.

On the 3rd, the two-stage separation was successful, but the missile did not fly normally afterward and is believed to have crashed into the East Sea. Possibly considering this, there was no specific mention of the launch by official media the following day.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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