North Korea Tests ICBM in “War-Readiness” Drill, Kim Jong Un Supervises

• North Korea tests the Hwasong-18 ICBM in a “war readiness” drill.
• Kim Jong Un supervises the launch and claims it targets “hostile forces.”
• A missile flies 1,000km, potentially reaching any US location.

In response to growing hostility from the United States, North Korea announced on Tuesday that it had fired a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Monday as part of a rehearsal to verify the war-readiness of its nuclear deterrent force.

Kim Jong Un, the head of state, reportedly observed the ICBM launch at the location, according to state news agency KCNA. According to KCNA, the missile traveled 1,002 km (623 miles) and reached a height of 6,518 km (4,050 miles), precisely hitting the target.

In an interview with KCNA, Kim stated that the launch sends “a clear signal to the hostile forces, who have fanned up their reckless military confrontation hysteria” against the North all year long.

The exercise “displayed the DPRK’s will for toughest counteraction and its overwhelming strength,” according to the agency. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is abbreviated as DPRK.

He presented “some new important tasks for accelerating the development of the DPRK’s nuclear strategic forces,” KCNA said without elaborating.

“The US imperialists and their vassal forces’ vicious ambition for confrontation will not abate of its own accord, he said, stressing the need for the DPRK to never overlook all the reckless and irresponsible military threats of the enemies.”

The North has fired an ICBM that can reach any location in the United States, according to reports from South Korea and Japan on Monday.

On Sunday, it fired a short-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast and denounced as “war” measures the US military’s display of force, which included the arrival of an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine in South Korea.

A Hwasong-18 ICBM powered by solid fuel fired the missile on Monday, according to South Korea. It took off on an abruptly high trajectory and landed in the sea to the west of the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

According to images released by North Korea’s official media, the missile was launched from a snow-covered area and left a cloud of smoke in its wake.

If launched at a flatter, conventional trajectory, the ICBM’s lofted trajectory and 74-minute flight time are compatible with an operational range of up to 15,000 kilometers (9,300 miles), putting the entire continental United States within reach.

In addition, North Korea claimed that a high-level conference between US and South Korean officials last week that focused on enhanced responses to nuclear threats and cooperative military exercises incited conflict on the Korean peninsula.

It said that by stationing nuclear-powered submarines, strategic bombers, and an aircraft carrier close to the Korean peninsula, the US has maintained its aggressive posture.

As part of Washington and Seoul’s agreement to improve defense readiness, the US nuclear-powered submarine Missouri made her way to the South Korean port of Busan on Sunday. It is the most recent strategic military asset to be sent from the US.

In response to growing threats from North Korea, which has tested a variety of ballistic missiles and launched its first military spy satellite in November, the United States and South Korea have intensified their joint military drills.

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