North Korea tests intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching US mainland

Asia-Pacific, News November 19, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

North Korea launched a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on November 18, 2022, capable of reaching the United States mainland. The missile is also capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Both Japanese and South Korean militaries detected the missile launch. It was reported that the missile fell some 200 kilometers away from the Japanese coast. This is the second missile test that the North Korean military has conducted within two days.

The missile was launched around 10:15 A.M. local time from the Sunan area near the North Korean capital Pyongyang. The missile flew about 1000 kilometers, reached an altitude of about 6100 kilometers, and attained the speed of about Mach 22 while heading towards the east before falling into the waters of the Sea of Japan. The U.S. called North Korea’s ICBM test as a ‘brazen’ violation of the United Nations resolution.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the missile likely fell inside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). “I want to restate that we cannot accept such actions,” Kishida said.

“North Korea is continuing to carry out provocative actions at frequency never seen before,” Kishida told in Bangkok, Thailand, where he is present to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting.

According to the Japanese Coast Guards, the missile fell near Oshima Island but did not fly over mainland Japan. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said it had the tested missile has the potential to reach the U.S. mainland.

“The ICBM class ballistic missile launched this time could have a range of over 15,000 km when calculated based on the flight distance of this ICBM,” Hamada said that if the missile is paired with the right weight of the warhead “the U.S. mainland would be included in the range.”

This is not the first long-range ICBM test conducted by North Korea this year. Pyongyang also launched an ICBM in March this year for the first time since 2017. The current ICBM’s range is about 100 kilometers shorter than the one tested earlier this year.

*^{North Korea’s Hwasong-17 ICBM was launched from the Pyongyang International Airport and flew more than 1,000 kilometers. (Image Credit: KCNA via KNS)}*

After the launch was detected, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who was also present at the APEC meeting in Bangkok, met with the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand in a previously unscheduled meeting.

“I have asked this group of allies and partners to come together to join us in condemning North Korea’s long range ballistic missile launch,” she said. “I’ve also asked them to join in so that we as allies and partners can consult on next steps. This conduct by North Korea most recently is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security resolutions. It destabilizes security in the region and unnecessarily raises tensions.”

Earlier on November 9, 2022, the chiefs of defense from South Korea and the U.S. met at the Pentagon for the 54th Security Consultative Meeting and warned North Korea that the use of any kind of nuclear weapon against Seoul or other regional allies would “result in the end of Kim Jong Un’s regime.” However, despite the warning, North Korea has conducted two consecutive missile tests in two days.