North Korea says it has launched a solid-fuel ICBM, a first

North Korea test-fired a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time. If this technology is successfully developed, it will be a major development for its missile program.

of Launch on ThursdayIt was reported by the South Korean military near the northeast coast, which it said was a medium- or long-range missile. On Friday, the North’s state media said it had a three-stage Hwasong-18 ICBM, a new model with solid fuel technology.

A solid-fuel missile is easy to hide and transport, and it takes little time to prepare one for firing. That makes them harder to target in pre-emptive strikes than the North’s Hwasong-14, -15 and -17 ICBM models, all of which use liquid launchers.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said growing military cooperation between Washington and Seoul will boost North Korea’s nuclear capabilities and create a “better security problem” for the United States and its allies, state media reported. on friday.

Analysts suspected North Korea was developing solid-fuel ICBMs, and Mr. Kim had vowed to add to its growing nuclear arsenal. But until Thursday, North Korea had never started a day.

In December, North Korea said it had. Tested a powerful new solid-fuel ICBM engine. After that test, Mr. Kim urged his engineers to build a solid-fuel ICBM “shortly.” A military parade in Pyongyang, the North’s capital, in February included a large number of ICBM launchers, among them. Apparently designed for a solid fuel missile.

Photographs released by state media on Friday appeared to show Mr Kim looking on. His young daughter by his side. The new launcher rolled out of the concrete tunnel into an open field and fired the Hwasong-18.

according to One of the secret Pentagon documents Leaked in recent weeks, US intelligence officials have assessed that “due to testing obstacles and resource limitations, the North may not be able to equip the ICBM launchers it has demonstrated with missiles capable of hitting the continental United States.” At least next year.

But on Friday, the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said the country was moving ahead with testing the new ICBM.

He said the Hwasong-18’s interceptor force had been called in on Thursday and that the missile had been deliberately launched at a steep angle to prevent it from flying over Japan.

Japan issued a warning to residents on the northern island of Hokkaido to seek shelter when the missile hit the east. He later rescinded the release, saying the missile had crashed into a well west of Japan.

South Korean officials said they were analyzing the test data they collected from the start to confirm the missile’s capabilities.

North Korea last kick off Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile in October. It flew over northern Japan, triggering alarms and prompting people there to seek cover. North Korea has launched many forces. ICBMs.

The test was held on Thursday three days after Mr Kim took over as head of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission. During the meeting, the country should “rapidly increase” and expand its weapons in a “practical and offensive” way.

Last week, the North failed to return daily calls to a military and government phone line it shares with South Korea. The hotlines are meant to establish a communication channel and prevent sudden military confrontations. The North has sometimes stopped answering the South’s calls to protest issues such as UN sanctions or the South’s joint military exercises with the United States.

The United States and South Korea have ramped up their military exercises this year in response to the North’s accelerated weapons development. The North has conducted 12 rounds of missile tests since January.

North Korea has recently launched nuclear strikes with short-range ballistic missiles, strategic cruise missiles and “pretenders.”Underwater Nuclear Attack Drones”. He released photos of a mock nuclear warhead detonation showing aerial and underwater explosions. .

On March 27, he also posted photos of Mr. Kim inspects a small, standardized nuclear weapons module that can be mounted on various missiles.

It was unclear whether that module would include a functioning nuclear warhead. Although it has conducted six underground nuclear tests since 2006, the North has never tested a small warhead, analysts said. The last nuclear test was in 2017. The United States and South Korea have said for more than a year that the North could take another step at any time.