Kim Jong attends a ballistic missile test

KIM Jong-un supervised the test-firing of North Korea’s biggest ever ballistic missile.

The North Korean leader stepped out in a fancy leather jacket and sunglasses in front of the huge weapon in what might well be mistaken for a Top Gun movie scenario.

Kim personally gave the go light for the testing of the massive new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking global targets, accompanied by military senior brass.

Kim is shown examining his fine watch before taking off his sunglasses in dramatic way to authorise the launch in the polished state media footage.

Click here to see the footage:

The huge ICBM, known as the Hwasong-17, was initially displayed in October 2020 and has been termed a “monster missile” by observers.

It had never been successfully test-fired before, and the launch drew quick condemnation from Pyongyang’s neighbours and the US, according to a US magazine.

“The missile, launched from Pyongyang International Airport, climbed to a maximum height of 6,248.5 kilometres and flew for 4,052 seconds before hitting the pre-set region in open waters” in the Sea of Japan, according to KCNA.
Because of the “daily-escalating military tension on and around the Korean peninsula” and the “inevitability of the long-standing confrontation with US imperialists accompanied by the threat of nuclear war,” Kim authorised the test.

Pyongyang launched its most powerful missiles at full range for the first time since 2017 on Thursday.

The range of the Thursday launch was assessed to be 6,200 kilometres (3,900 miles) by South Korean military officials, greatly beyond the range of North Korea’s most recent ICBM, the Hwasong-15, which it tested in November 2017.

Analysts believe the Hwasong-17 is equipped with several warheads and decoys in order to evade missile defences.
The missile landed near Japan’s exclusive economic zone, infuriating Tokyo, but KCNA stated the test was conducted “in a vertical launch mode” to assuage security worries among neighbours.

Following the test on Thursday, the US slapped fresh penalties on Russian and North Korean businesses and individuals suspected of “transferring sensitive goods to North Korea’s missile programme.”

After the successful launch, Kim walks with North Korean military soldiers. credits: AFP

Analysts in the United States were concerned about the launch’s possible threat.

According to US-based researcher Ankit Panda, the test is a clear evidence that North Korea has achieved “significant qualitative progress” on its prohibited weapons programmes.

“What’s crucial about this ICBM is not how far it can fly, but what it might possibly carry,” he told AFP, referring to North Korea’s long-held desire for multiple warheads.

“Beyond the ICBM capabilities revealed in 2017, the North Koreans are on the verge of considerably escalating the threat to the United States.”