South Korea: North needs to prove critical missile technology

SEOUL: North Korea’s latest missile test places Washington within range, but it still needs to prove critical missile technology, such as re-entry, terminal stage guidance and warhead activation, South Korea said on Friday.

But South Korea said it expected Pyongyang to now pause its testing programme after the success of its new Hwasong-15 missile.

Pyongyang has said its Wednesday missile test was a “breakthrough” and leader Kim Jong Un said the country had “finally realised the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force”.

“Kim Jong Un is acting in a very calculative, clever manner,” said South Korea defence minister Song Young-moo.

“Kim changed the launch time, direction and distance in order to display he has this great power .... he will probably make a great announcement in his New Year’s Address that the North has completed its weapons programme.”

However, North Korea still needs to prove some technologies, like re-entry, terminal stage guidance and warhead activation, said Yeo Suk-joo, deputy minister of defence policy at the defence ministry.

According to an analysis by South Korea’s military, Yeo told lawmakers the first stage engine of the Hwasong-15 missile was a clustering of two engines from Hwasong-14 missiles, which are also ICBMS that were testlaunched in July.