North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile Sunday designed to hit U.S. bases in Asia for its first such launch of 2024, amid a pledge by leader Kim Jong Un to boost the country\u2019s nuclear-strike capabilities. <\/p>\n
The missile was fired from an area near Pyongyang toward waters off the east coast and traveled about 620 miles, South Korea\u2019s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to reporters. The country\u2019s military is working closely with its U.S. and Japanese counterparts to analyze the details, the JCS said.<\/p>\n
An intermediate-range ballistic missile is built to fly far enough to hit all of Japan, where the U.S. has positioned tens of thousands of troops, and U.S. military facilities in Guam, where the Pentagon says it keeps one of America\u2019s largest munitions depots in the world. <\/p>\n
North Korea said it fired off \u201can intermediate-range solid-fuel ballistic missile loaded with a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead,\u201d the official Korean Central News Agency reported Monday. State media also released an image of the launch, while there has been no indication on whether Kim was on hand to see the test. <\/p>\n
The firing comes after Kim presided over a policy-setting meeting of his ruling party at the end of December where he vowed to expand North Korea\u2019s nuclear weapons arsenal. The country\u2019s rubber-stamp parliament is due to convene from Monday to endorse the leader\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n
By testing a ballistic missile, Kim can demonstrate to his top cadres and the North Korean people that the country\u2019s nuclear arsenal is making great strides in being able to attack the U.S., reinforcing the message in propaganda that its expansion is essential to prevent an invasion from American forces.<\/p>\n
North Korea\u2019s last successful test was on Dec. 18, when it fired an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the U.S. mainland. The missile flew on a lofted trajectory and splashed down west of Japan\u2019s main northern island of Hokkaido.<\/p>\n
The latest launch adds to the pressure Kim has put on the government of conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, which includes conducting live fire drills near a nautical boundary that has been the scene of deadly confrontations. Kim also said North Korea should \u201cno longer make the mistake\u201d of considering Seoul a partner for reunification.<\/p>\n
South Korea\u2019s spy agency said in a rare public statement in late December that it expects North Korea to launch military and cyber provocations as Kim\u2019s regime aims to attract attention before South Korea\u2019s parliamentary elections. Yoon\u2019s People Power Party is seeking to wrestle a majority in the body in April from the progressive bloc led by the Democratic Party. <\/p>\n
North Korea has a habit of conducting provocations to coincide with voting, as it rails against conservative politicians like Yoon who take a tough stance on Pyongyang. North Korea has called Yoon \u201ca puppet traitor\u201d and threatened to turn the Pacific Ocean into a firing range in response to greater military cooperation between the U.S., South Korea and Japan.<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s missile launch came just ahead of an announcement by North Korea that it will send Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui on a trip to Russia from Monday to Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov traveled to Pyongyang in October in his first such trip in about five years. His visit was thought to possibly facilitate one by President Vladimir Putin after he accepted an invitation from Kim to make the journey to the isolated Asian state when the two met for a summit in Russia in September.<\/p>\n
The Lavrov trip was part of a series of high-profile meetings between the neighbors that started in July 2023 when Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to Pyongyang for an anniversary marking the end of Korean War fighting in 1953. The U.S. and South Korea have for months accused Kim of providing arms and ammunition to aid Putin\u2019s war in Ukraine, including sending shells and ballistic missiles. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied the charges.<\/p>\n
North Korea could be looking to step up its military cooperation with Russia even further by sending Moscow new types of tactical guided missiles, South Korea\u2019s defense minister said in an interview with Yonhap News last week, adding Pyongyang may soon conduct fresh tests of its own missiles designed to deliver nuclear strikes. <\/p>\n
The weapons suspected of being sent to Russia can aid the Kremlin in its bombardment of Ukraine, while sales could provide North Korea with a new stream of revenue for an economy isolated from much of world trade.<\/p>\n
Kim has ignored U.S. calls to return to long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks through which Pyongyang could secure economic aid in exchange for disarmament. Meanwhile, he has been busy modernizing his arsenal of missiles and conducting tests of systems to attack South Korea and Japan, which host the bulk of U.S. military personnel in the region.<\/p>\n
Pyongyang fired 30 ballistic missiles and three space rockets in 2023. They included five intercontinental ballistic missiles that could hit the U.S. mainland. Kim\u2019s regime launched more than 70 ballistic missiles in 2022, a record for the state. <\/p>\n
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(With assistance from Noriko Tsutsumi and Shinhye Kang.)<\/p>\n
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