North Korea test-fires second ICBM, lands in sea off Japan
PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA North Korea test-fired on Friday what the U.S. believes was its second intercontinental ballistic missile, which flew longer and higher than its first ICBM launched earlier this month, officials said.
“We assess that this missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile, as had been expected,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said in Washington.
The missile was launched on very high trajectory, which limited the distance it travelled, and landed west of Japan’s island of Hokkaido.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called it a “serious and real threat” to the country’s security. North Korea’s development of ICBM technology is a major step toward its goal of developing nuclear-armed missiles capable of reaching as far as the United States.
Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the missile, launched late Friday
night, flew for about 45 minutes — about five minutes longer than the ICBM North Korea testfired on July 4. He said Japan has lodged a strong protest with North Korea.
“North Korea’s repeated provocative acts absolutely cannot be accepted,” he said.
Abe said Japan would co-operate closely with the U.S., South Korea and other nations to further
step up pressure on North Korea to halt its missile programs.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile reached an estimated height of 3,700 kilometres before landing at sea about 1,000 kilometres away. It was apparently more advanced than the ICBM North Korea previously launched, it said.
The “Hwasong 14” ICBM testfired earlier this month was also launched at a very steep angle, a technique called lofting, and reached a height of more than 2,500 kilometres before splashing down in the ocean 930 kilometres away. Analysts said that missile could be capable of reaching most of Alaska or possibly Hawaii if fired in an attacking trajectory.
Jeffrey Lewis, a missile and nonproliferation expert with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said in tweet that early data from Friday’s test suggest a missile with a range of about 10,000 kilometres that would be capable of reaching targets deep into the United States mainland.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from North Korea’s northern Jagang province near the border with China. President Moon Jae-in was presiding over an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, Moon’s office said.