Lagatar24 Desk
Seoul, Jan 30: According to South Korea’s President, North Korea fired what is believed to be its longest-range ballistic missile since 2017 on Sunday, an escalation of its weapons programme and a likely sign of heavier tests to come.
The launch of an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) was reported by both the South Korean and Japanese governments, with Tokyo officials claiming the missile reached a height of 2,000 kilometres (1,243 miles) and a range of 800 kilometres (497 miles) before falling into waters off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast.
“If the missile were fired at a normal apogee, its range would be up to 3,500 kilometres to 5,500 kilometres, making it an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile and North Korea’s longest test since 2017,” said Joseph Dempsey, research associate for defence and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London on Sunday.
According to a US official with firsthand information, the launch was also determined to be an IRBM, most likely a KN-17, also known as a Hwasong-12.
In the Pacific Ocean, an IRBM may target the US territory of Guam.
Pyongyang’s sixth ballistic missile launch in 2022 and seventh missile test overall took place on Sunday.
According to North Korea’s state-run news agency KCNA, the Kim Jong Un dictatorship plans to increase missile testing in 2022 and has stated that it will boost its defences against the US and assess “restarting all temporarily paused activities.”
According to Dempsey, North Korea may be doing precisely that, as seen by Sunday’s launch.
“They have limited ballistic missiles tested to short range (SRBM) and medium range (MRBM) following their self-imposed embargo on long range and nuclear testing in 2018,” Dempsey added.
According to the US official, all of the recent tests indicate that Kim “wants to test out his inventory” and doesn’t care if Washington sees it.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in stated on Sunday that the North is close to lifting the ban on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and nuclear testing, which could theoretically target the US mainland.
Following Sunday’s launch, Moon called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, saying the North is following a pattern similar to that of 2017, when testing began with IRBMs before going on to long-range ballistic missile launches.
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the oceans off the country’s east coast on Thursday, according to reports.
It had launched what seemed to be cruise missiles into the same waters two days prior.
Earlier, on January 17, Pyongyang test-fired “tactical guided missiles,” which are short-range ballistic missiles. On January 5 and 11, North Korea claimed to have successfully test-fired hypersonic missiles, followed by what appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles from a train car on January 14.
International law prohibits Pyongyang from producing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.
Following the rail car test, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman chastised the United States for its hostile stance toward Pyongyang’s weapons programme. “If the US takes such a confrontational position, the DPRK will be forced to respond with a stronger and more certain response,” the spokesman added, using the country’s official name of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
