North Korea Launches New Long-Range Ballistic Missile

A senior South Korean military official said the missile could be a new weapon unveiled during recent North Korean military parades and that it could use solid fuel. North Korea is seeking to develop more solid-propellant missiles, which are easier to store and transport, and can be launched with little notice or preparation time.

Missile Travels Nearly 1000 km

The South Korean military announced that the missile traveled about 1,000 km, calling the event a “serious provocation.” The official said the missile’s maximum altitude was below 6,000 km, which is the apogee of some of the record tests from the previous year.

“For now, we believe they have launched a new type of intermediate or intercontinental range ballistic missile,” the official said. “We are still examining factors such as trajectory, altitude, and range, with the possibility that it is powered by solid propellant.”

The South Korean military said it was on high alert and closely coordinating its actions with its main ally, the United States, which “strongly condemned” what the White House called a long-range ballistic missile test in a statement.

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Military Maneuvers in Response

Following the missile launch, Japanese and U.S. air forces conducted exercises over the Sea of Japan “as the security situation surrounding Japan is increasingly deteriorating,” the Japanese Ministry of Defense said.

Although North Korea has tested short-range solid-propellant missiles, it has not tested a long-range missile of this type, said Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the U.S.-based RAND Corporation.

The missile was fired at 7:23 a.m. (10:23 p.m. GMT Wednesday) near Pyongyang, the South Korean military announced. The Japanese Coast Guard said it landed at 8:19 a.m.

It could have been launched from an international airport near the North Korean capital, a key site for large missile tests since 2017.

U.S. Reiterates Offer for Dialogue

While condemning the latest in a series of North Korean missile tests, the United States renewed its offer to begin discussions.

“The door is not closed to diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilizing actions and choose diplomatic engagement,” said U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson in a statement.

North Korea has criticized recent joint military exercises between U.S. and South Korean forces, calling them an exacerbation of tensions, and has stepped up its weapons tests in recent months.