North Korea's Missile Program Suddenly Very Busy

North Korea on Monday conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile test in five months, likely launching a developmental, more agile weapon, as it vows strong responses against US and South Korean moves to boost their nuclear deterrence plans. The South Korean government described the missile tested as a solid-fueled weapon, a likely reference to the North's road-mobile Hwasong-18 ICBM whose built-in solid propellants make its launch more difficult for adversaries to detect than liquid-fueled weapons, the AP reports. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un previously called the Hwasong-18 the most powerful weapon of his nuclear forces.

South Korea's military said the North Korean missile flew about 620 miles before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. It said the missile was launched on an elevated angle, an apparent attempt to avoid neighboring countries. Japanese lawmaker Masahisa Sato, citing Japan's Defense Ministry, said the missile rose as high as 3,730 miles. The reported flight details matched those of North Korea's second test of the Hwasong-18 missile in July. The North first test-fired the missile in April. Since 2017, North Korea has carried out a slew of ICBM tests in a bid to acquire the ability to launch nuclear strikes on the US mainland. But all of its previous ICBM tests before April's Hwasong-18 launch involved liquid-propellent ICBMs, which need to be fueled before launch and cannot stay fueled for long periods of time.

In a trilateral call, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his South Korean and Japanese counterparts condemned the North Korean launch, which the White House said was "a flagrant" violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic activities by the North. It said the three advisers also underscored the importance of sharing data and coordinating responses amid growing cooperation between North Korea and Russia. The North's ICBM test was its second weapons firing in less than a day. On Sunday night, the North launched a short-range ballistic missile, also into the water off its east coast, according to the South Korean, Japanese, and US governments.

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