Missile launch escalates tensions over sanctions
SEOUL — North Korea confirmed Monday it test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam, the North’s most significant weapon launch in years, as Washington plans a response to demonstrate it’s committed to its allies’ security in the region.
The Korean Central News Agency said Sunday’s test of the Hwasong-12 missile was aimed at evaluating the missile’s overall accuracy. It said a camera installed at the missile’s warhead took an image of Earth from space, and the Academy of Defense Science confirmed the accuracy and effectiveness of the weapons system.
North Korea said the missile was launched toward the waters off its east coast and on a high trajectory to prevent it from overflying other countries. According to South Korean and Japanese assessments, the missile flew about 497 miles before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
The reported flight details make it the most powerful missile North Korea tested since 2017, when the country launched Hwasong-12 and longer-range missiles in a torrid run of weapons firings to acquire an ability to launch nuclear strikes on U.S. military bases in North Asia and the Pacific and even the American homeland.
The Hwasong-12 missile is a nuclear-capable ground-to-ground weapon, whose maximum range is 2,800 miles when it’s fired on a standard trajectory. It’s a distance sufficient to reach the U.S. territory of Guam. In 2017, North Korea also test-fired intercontinental ballistic missiles that experts say demonstrated their potential capacity to reach the U.S. mainland.
Some experts say the boosted testing activity shows how North Korean leader Kim Jong Un aims to wrest concessions from the Biden administration, such as sanctions relief or international recognition as a nuclear power.
The Biden administration plans to respond to the latest missile test in the coming days with an unspecified move meant to demonstrate to the North that it is committed to allies’ security in the region, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.