N Korea fires banned missile in longest flight yet
North Korea has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that flew for 86 minutes—the longest recorded flight for an ICBM—covering a distance of over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) before landing in waters off its eastern coast, according to South Korea’s military.
This launch occurs amid deteriorating relations between the two Koreas and Pyongyang’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric toward Seoul.
The missile was fired at a steep angle at approximately 07:10 local time on Thursday (22:10 GMT Wednesday).
On Wednesday, South Korea had warned that North Korea was preparing to launch its ICBM around the time of the upcoming U.S. presidential election on November 5.
The last ICBM launch by North Korea took place in December of the previous year, defying longstanding and severe UN sanctions.
ICBMs are capable of reaching the North American continent.
Japan, a neighboring country, reported monitoring Thursday’s launch, noting that the missile achieved a record altitude of over 7,000 kilometers.
Following the launch, South Korean and U.S. officials convened and agreed to implement “strong and varied response measures,” as stated by the South’s military.
“Our military is fully prepared and is closely sharing information on North Korean ballistic activities with U.S. and Japanese authorities,” it added.
The US called the launch a “flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions”.
“It only demonstrates that [North Korea] continues to prioritise its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes over the well-being of its people,” the White House’s National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.
Thursday’s launch comes after South Korea and US accused North Korea of sending troops to Russia to support Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
The Pentagon estimates that around 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to train in eastern Russia. A “small number” has been sent to Kursk in Russia’s west, with several thousand more on their way, the US said earlier this week.
The alleged presence of North Korean troops in Russia has added to growing concerns over deepening ties between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Pyongyang and Moscow have neither confirmed nor denied these allegations.
