North Korea successfully test-fired a strategic missile, the regime's media reported. During about one and a half hours of flight, the missile flew a thousand kilometers in a straight line. In response, South Korea imposed sanctions against 11 people and four North Korean institutions.
South Korea said on Thursday that a North Korean ballistic missile was fired from an area near Pyongyang at 7:10 a.m. local time (11:10 p.m. Wednesday in Poland) toward the Sea of Japan.
North Korean media reported that it successfully test-fired the “world's strategic missile”, the new Hwasong-19 ballistic missile (ICBM). The test was watched by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Joo Ae, who are likely to be groomed to succeed him.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and European Foreign Minister Josep Borrell strongly condemned Pyongyang's provocation. South Korea, USA, Japan and Germany also criticized.
North Korea tests 'world's most powerful missile' KCNA/EPA/PAP
See also: North Korea conducted a missile test. There is a US response
It flew for about an hour and a half
As reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim expressed his satisfaction with the successful test, saying that North Korea thus proved a “hegemonic position” that is “self-sufficient in the development and production of nuclear weapons delivery vehicles.” did”. of the same type”.
The Korean missile traveled a distance of 1001.2 kilometers in a straight line during the 86-minute flight. This is considered the longest flight time of a North Korean missile.
Reuters notes that tests of the Hwasong-19 and previous ICBMs have demonstrated a strike range of nearly anywhere in the United States, but it is unclear whether the North Korean military has the ability to guide such a missile and protect against a nuclear warhead during a war. . – income.
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According to the Associated Press, the Hwasong-19 is powered by solid fuel, which can be traced back to the color and shape of the flame seen in the photos from the rocket.
North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA/EPA/PAP
South Korea's response
In response to the missile launch, South Korea's foreign ministry announced that it had imposed sanctions on 11 individuals and four entities from North Korea. Export control has also been introduced, covering the components of the production of such missiles.
Those subject to sanctions include North Korean officials involved in arms exports, including diplomat Cho Chol-min, who was accused of a role in procuring ballistic missile components and sending more than a thousand North Korean personnel to China.
The rest of the sanctioned individuals are suspected of working for companies linked to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs and earning hard currency for Kim Jong Un's regime by sending employees abroad, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.
Sanctioned entities include Kumrung Company and EMG Universal Auto, which are suspected of sending workers from the north to work abroad. The sanctions will take effect on November 6.
North Korea has increased its 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 used Russia's aggression against Ukraine as an opportunity to increase weapons tests and threats and expand military cooperation with Moscow.
According to UN Security Council resolutions, member states are prohibited from selling or transferring goods to and from North Korea that can be used to produce weapons. The two 2017 resolutions ordered the return of all North Korean workers working abroad and banned the recruitment of new workers.
Main photo source: KCNA/EPA/PAP
