North Korea conducted a successful test of “the world's most powerful strategic missile,” regime media reported. During the nearly one and a half hour flight, the missile flew a thousand kilometers in a straight line. In response, South Korea imposed sanctions on 11 North Korean individuals and four entities.
South Korea announced on Thursday that it had detected a ballistic missile fired by North Korea from the area near Pyongyang at 7:10 a.m. local time (11:10 p.m. on Wednesday in Poland) towards the Sea of ​​Japan.
North Korean media reported that on Thursday, a successful test of the “world's most powerful strategic missile”, the new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), was carried out. The test was observed by the dictator of North Korea Kim Jong Un along with his daughter Kim Dzu Ae, who is probably being groomed to succeed him.
Secretary General UN Antonio Guterres and the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell Strongly condemned Pyongyang's provocation. South Korea, the US also expressed criticism Japan and Germany.
North Korea tested 'the most powerful missile in the world'KCNA/EPA/PAP
It flew for almost an hour and a half
As reported by the propaganda Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim expressed satisfaction with the successful test and argued that North Korea had thus proven the “hegemonic position” it had “secured for itself in the development and production of means of delivering nuclear weapons of the same type.”
The Korean missile covered a distance of 1,001.2 kilometers in a straight line during a flight lasting 86 minutes. This was estimated to be the longest flight time for a North Korean missile.
Reuters notes that the test of the Hwasong-19 and previous ICBMs demonstrated the range to strike almost anywhere in the United States, but it is unclear whether the North Korean military has achieved the ability to guide such a missile and protect a nuclear warhead during re-entry.
According to the Associated Press, Hwasong-19 is powered by solid fuel, as indicated by the color and shape of the flames emerging from the launch vehicle visible in the photos.
North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA/EPA/PAP
South Korea's response
In response to the missile launch, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the imposition of sanctions on 11 people and four entities from North Korea. Export controls have also been introduced covering components for the production of such missiles.
Those subject to sanctions include North Korean officials involved in arms exports, including those stationed in… China diplomat Cho Chol Min in connection with his role in acquiring ballistic missile components and sending over a thousand North Korean employees to China.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, the remaining people subject to sanctions are suspected of working for companies involved in the development of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs and obtaining hard currency for Kim Jong Un's regime by sending their employees abroad.
The entities subject to sanctions include Kumrung Company and EMG Universal Auto, suspected of involvement in sending workers from the North to work abroad. The sanctions will enter into force on November 6.
North Korea has stepped up weapons tests
The last time Pyongyang's military tested an ICBM was on December 18, 2023, when it launched the Hwasong-18. Over the past two years, dictator Kim Jong Un has exploited the invasion Russia on Ukraine as an opportunity to increase weapons testing and threats while expanding military cooperation with Moscow.
Under UN Security Council resolutions, member countries are prohibited from selling or transferring goods to and from North Korea that could be used to develop weapons. Two 2017 resolutions ordered the repatriation of all North Korean workers working abroad and banned the hiring of new ones.
Main photo source: KCNA/EPA/PAP