North Korea launched a new type of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on Thursday while the Western Leaders Gathered in Brussels for security summits. The missile has been tested and it is the country’s first long-range test in more than 4 years. It marks a new potential era of regional confrontation.
On Friday, North Korean state media said that the leader Kim Jong Un had directly guided the launch of the weapon. The new ICBM known as Hwasong-17 is the most advanced North Korean Weapon to date.
Reports describe the launch as a “powerful nuclear war deterrent”. Kim Jong Un said the country’s forces were fully ready for potential military confrontations with the US.
Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul said North Korea refuses to be ignored and may be trying to gain its status as a nuclear weapons state.
Thursday’s test showed the possible range of the new ICBM. North Korean state media released pictures showing the massive, liquid-fuelled missile being fired from a mobile launcher at Pyongyang International Airport on Friday.
