N. Korea claims successful launch of ICBM

A North Korean Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile is launched in this photo released by the North’s state-run Korean Central TV, Tuesday. The launch took place near Banghyon, North Pyongan Province, at 9:40 a.m. / Yonhap

Moon denounces provocation, vows stern response

By Jun Ji-hye

North Korea claimed Tuesday that it had successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the continental United States.

This marked the first time for the North to launch such a missile, believed to be able to fly more than 10,000 kilometers.

The “special” announcement made by Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central TV came hours after South Korea and the United States as well as Japan detected the launch of the missile.

The latest provocation came a few days after President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump agreed to open the door for dialogue during their summit Friday.

The militaries of Seoul and Washington presumed, after a preliminary analysis, that the North may have launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), believed to have a maximum range of 5,000 kilometers.

But the reclusive states’ media claimed it was an ICBM, called the Hwasong-14, adding that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observed the test.

The Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said the missile made a “39 minute flight along its pre-set trajectory before accurately hitting the target waters in the open sea in the East Sea.” It also said, “The rocket was boosted to a maximum height of 2,802 kilometers and traveled a distance of 933 kilometers.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signs an order for the test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile, Monday, a day before the North conducted the test. / Yonhap

The media noted that the North fired the missile at a high angle as it did in previous launches to exert “no adverse effect on the security of neighboring countries.”

The launch took place near Banghyon, North Pyongan Province, at 9:40 a.m., according to Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

After the North’s announcement was made, President Moon urged the repressive state not to reach “the point of no return.”

“If the North crosses a red line and does not respond to a method agreed on by the leaders of South Korea and the United States to peacefully denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, nobody will know how we (Seoul and Washington) will react,” Moon said during a meeting with former British Prime Minister David Cameron at Cheong Wa Dae, according to Moon’s chief press secretary, Yoon Young-chan.

Moon also called on China to play a more powerful role in resolving the issue, Yoon added.

Earlier in the day, Moon presided over a National Security Council session, during which he also strongly denounced the provocation, the sixth since his inauguration and the second in less than a month.

“If it turns out to be an ICBM, we will draw up relevant countermeasures to cope with it,” Moon told security and foreign relations officials, according to Yoon.

He also vowed to seek “U.N. Security Council measures in close cooperation with our allies, including the United States,” Yoon noted.

The JCS said the military is making full preparation for any additional provocations.

“Intelligence officials of Seoul and Washington are conducting detailed analyses to see if the missile was an ICBM,” said Maj. Gen. Cho Han-gyu, director of operations at the JCS.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a briefing that the missile was presumed to have landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), according to Japanese media.

The U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) also confirmed the missile launch, saying, “The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) assessed that the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America.”

A U.S. expert said the missile could reach a maximum range of 6,700 kilometers if it had been launched on a standard trajectory.

“That range would not be enough to reach the lower 48 states or the large islands of Hawaii, but would allow it to reach all of Alaska,” said David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

A missile is assessed as an ICBM in general if its range exceeds 5,500 kilometers, according to experts.

Earlier in the day, the Kim Jong-un regime criticized the outcome of the Seoul-Washington summit, urging the South to end its “subservience” to the United States, apparently referring to Moon having secured Trump’s support for Seoul’s leading role in fostering an environment for peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula.

In a message to mark the 45th anniversary of a landmark inter-Korean agreement on peace and reconciliation, the Central Committee of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea (DFRK) said South Korea has made no change in its attitude in dealing with inter-Korean relations even after the new government was launched.

Moon took office May 10 after former President Park Geun-hye was removed from office in a high-profile political corruption scandal.

Though the committee did not directly mention the name of President Moon, it said he had made no efforts to improve relations between the two Koreas.

The latest provocation came after Pyongyang fired anti-ship cruise missiles, June 8.

Earlier, the North fired a Scud-type ballistic missile from Wonsan, May 29, which was later assessed as an anti-ship ballistic missile. At the time, the North claimed the missile featured a new high-precision guidance system and a faster launch process.

The Kim Jong-un regime also fired an IRBM, May 14; a medium-range ballistic missile, May 21; and a KN-06 surface-to-air guided missile, May 27.