NextGen Day

North Korea said Monday that it had successfully test-fired a Hwasong-12 “middle and long-range” ballistic missile the day before. According to Pyongyang’s state media, the accuracy of the weapons system “being built and deployed” has been validated.

In an English-language report, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated, “The evaluation test-fire of Hwasong 12-type ground-to-ground intermediate- and the long-range ballistic missile was conducted Sunday under a plan of the Academy of Defense Science, the Second Economy Commission, and other institutions concerned.”

The mission was to “selectively analyze the missile being built and deployed, as well as test the overall accuracy of the weapon system,” according to the statement. “It verified the precision, security, and efficacy of the Hwasong 12-type weapon system, which is currently in production.”

Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, did not attend the firing.

The “highest-angle launch system” was utilized to protect neighboring countries’ security, according to the KCNA, which did not provide any further flight data in the five-paragraph report.

The KCNA subsequently posted photos of the missile being launched from a TEL, as well as an image of the Earth obtained from space by a camera embedded in the missile warhead.

South Korean and US military agencies classify the Hwasong-12 as an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) with a range of 3,000-5,500 kilometers. It was previously shot in September 2017 by the North.

The newest missile, launched from South Korea’s border region of Jagang, soared 800 kilometers at a top height of 2,000 kilometers before landing in the East Sea, according to the military.

The unpredictable North’s launch on Sunday was its seventh show of power this year and its longest-range missile test since an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in November 2017.

The latest launch comes only three days after Pyongyang tested two suspected cruise missiles by shooting two “surface-to-surface tactical guided missiles” toward the East Sea.

It launched four more missiles earlier this month, including what it claimed were hypersonic missiles.

Since Kim’s ascension to power in late 2011, the North has shot the most projectiles in a single month. In both March and July of 2014, the North launched six projectiles.

On Sunday, President Moon Jae-in presided over the National Security Council’s first plenary session in nearly a year. He claimed that the North was getting closer to lifting its self-imposed ban on nuclear and ICBM tests.

Pyongyang made a veiled threat to end the years-long moratorium earlier this month, as Washington increased sanctions pressure on the North Korean dictatorship amid a protracted standstill in their nuclear talks.

The launch of the Hwasong-12, according to experts, indicates that the North may be on the verge of removing the ban.

“A new nuclear or ICBM test now appears to be a question of time,” said Lim Eul-Chul, an Institute for Far Eastern Studies professor. “The North is anticipated to step up its military activities to put pressure on the US, ignoring external variables like the Beijing Olympics and the forthcoming presidential election in South Korea.”

A top Biden administration official is said to be concerned about Pyongyang’s potential resume of nuclear and long-range missile tests.

On Sunday, Reuters quoted an unnamed official as stating, “We believe it is entirely appropriate and completely correct to begin having some serious discussions” (Washington time).

John Kirby, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense, said the US was “laser-focused on the dangers to the Korean Peninsula emanating from Pyongyang,” and vowed to be “militarily ready on the peninsula and in the area.”

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