North Korea conducts longest-range missile test in four years

Asia-Pacific, News January 31, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

North Korea conducted its largest missile test since 2017 after South Korea and Japan reported a suspected ballistic missile launch on January 30.

According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the trajectory of what is believed to be a ballistic missile was fired from North Korea’s Jagang province towards the ocean off its east coast at around 7:52 AM.

North Korean authorities later confirmed on January 31 that Pyongyang had tested a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said during a briefing that if the projectile was a standard ballistic missile, it is estimated to have reached an altitude of 2,000 kilometers and the missile flew for about 30 minutes to reach a distance of 800 kilometers (about 500 miles).

“Ballistic missile launches violate UN Security Council resolutions, for which a strict protest was expressed to DPRK. We are still working out the details, but, if we consider a normal ballistic trajectory, the missile traveled about 800 km, with the maximum altitude of about 2,000 km,” the Chief Cabinet Secretary said.

“We have received no information about any damage caused by the incident,” Matsuno added.

^{A combination image of Hwasong-12 intermediate and long-range ballistic missile test, that state media KCNA says was conducted on January 30, along with pictures reportedly taken from outer space with a camera at the warhead of the missle, in this image released on January 31, 2022. (Image Credit: KCNA)}

According to analysts, the data suggested it was an intermediate-range ballistic missile, the Hwasong-12, which was last tested by North Korea in 2017 when the country test-fired two intercontinental ballistic missiles at the height of tensions between North Korea and the United States.

Earlier this month, North Korea also launched its two hypersonic missiles from the site at Jagang Province. while on January 27, South Korean officials reported that North Korea test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles that hit targets on an uninhabited island near the North Hamgyong Province.

In 2022, North Korea has carried out seven missiles tests involving 11 missiles, which marked the most missiles launched in a single month by Pyongyang.

On January 28, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the country’s munitions factory that produces important weapon systems and inspected the production capacity and modernization of the facility.

*^{North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un inspecting weapon systems during his visit to the munitions factory on January 28, 2022. (Image Credit: KCNA)}*

The same day, North Korea conducted two long-range cruise missiles tests as the DPRK regime is considering resuming “all temporarily suspended activities,” suggesting it could lift its moratorium on testing nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles.