North Korea fires intercontinental ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan
Asia-Pacific, News July 13, 2023 1 Comment on North Korea fires intercontinental ballistic missile toward the Sea of JapanNorth Korea fired a new-type Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasongpho-18 off its eastern coast towards the Sea of Japan on July 12, 2023. The missile traveled for more than 1000 kilometers before falling into the waters near Japan’s Okushiri island.
According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missile flew for about 74 minutes and reached an altitude of 6,000 kilometers. Japan’s chief cabinet secretary also reported on the missile saying that it fell about 250 kilometers west of Okushiri island in Japan’s northernmost Hokkaido prefecture.
South Korean and Japanese authorities reported that the North Korean missile test did not result in any damage. The trajectory of the missile shows that it was launched at a vertically high angle to avoid hitting any of the neighboring countries.
According to the KCNA statement, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally guided the test-fire of a new-type ICBM Hwasongpho-18 on the spot. “The test-fire was aimed at re-confirming the technical creditability and operational reliability of the new-type ICBM weapon system,” the statement added.
The KCNA statement highlighted that “In consideration of the security of the neighboring countries and the stability of domestic in-flight multi-stage separation, the test-fire was conducted in the way of setting the first stage as a standard ballistic flight mode and the second and third stages as high-angle flight mode and of confirming the technical characteristics of every component of the weapon system in the maximum range system.”
North Korea’s latest missile launch comes days after heated complaints made about the U.S. military and its activities in the region. Earlier this week, Pyongyang accused the U.S. of intruding on North Korea’s air space and released a warning saying that it may shoot down any U.S. Air Force plane that illegally intrudes on its air space.
Sister of North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Kim Yo Jong, accused the U.S. of sending spy planes inside North Korea’s exclusive economic zone, the area within 200 nautical miles of its territory where it controls rights to natural resources. She said that a U.S. spy plane crossed the eastern sea boundary between the Koreas at around 5 a.m. on July 9, 20203, and conducted reconnaissance activities over the North’s exclusive economic zone before being chased away by North Korean warplanes.
U.S., Japan, and South Korea held a military meeting
Top military generals from the United States, Japan, and South Korea met in Hawaii for a rare trilateral meeting following North Korea’s ballistic missile test. The meeting came at the same time as the leaders from the three countries are bolstering ties at the NATO summit in Lithuania.
Colonel Dave Butler, a spokesman for U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, said that the meeting was not in response to the North Korean missile launch and it had been long planned.
Washington has been pressing Seoul and Tokyo to work closely to counter the rising threat from North Korea and China. The U.S.’s two closest allies in the Indo-Pacific region are at odds with each other over territorial and historical disputes dating back to Japan’s 1910-1945 occupation of Korea.
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[…] weeks ago, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister, accused the U.S. of sending spy planes inside North Korea’s exclusive economic zone. She warned of serious consequences if the U.S. […]