North Korea confirms ICBM test, warns of more powerful steps

North Korea said Sunday its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test was meant to further bolster its fatal nuclear attack capacity against its rivals as it threatened additional powerful steps in response to the planned military training between the United States and South KoreaSaturdays ICBM test the Norths first missile test since Jan 1 signals its leader Kim Jong Un is using his rivals drills as a chance to expand his countrys nuclear capability to enhance its leverage in future dealings with the United States An expert says North Korea may seek to hold regular operational exercises involving its ICBMs North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency said its launch of the existing Hwasong15 ICBM was organised suddenly without prior notice at the direct order of leader Kim Jong UnKCNA said the launch was designed to verify the weapons reliability and the combat readiness of the countrys nuclear force It said the missile was fired at a high angle and reached a maximum altitude of about 5770 kilometers 3585 miles flying a distance of about 990 kilometers 615 miles during a 67minute flight before accurately hitting a preset area in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and JapanAlso Read North Korea threatens unprecedented responseThe steepangle launch was apparently aimed at avoiding neighboring countries The flight details reported by North Korea which roughly matched the launch details previously assessed by its neighbours show the weapon is theoretically capable of reaching the mainland US if fired at a standard trajectory The Hwasong15 launch demonstrated the Norths powerful physical nuclear deterrent and its efforts to turn its capacity of fatal nuclear counterattack on the hostile forces into an extremely strong one that cannot be countered KCNA saidWhether North Korea has a functioning nucleartipped ICBM is still a source of outside debate as some experts say the North hasnt mastered a technology to protect warheads from the severe conditions of atmospheric reentry The North has claimed to have acquired such a reentry vehicle technologyThe Hwasong15 is one of North Koreas three existing ICBMs all of which use liquid propellants that require prelaunch injections and cannot remain fueled for extended periods The North is pushing to build a solidfueled ICBM which would be more mobile and hardertodetect before its launchKim Jong Un has likely determined that the technical reliability of the countrys liquid propellant ICBM force has been sufficiently tested and evaluated to now allow for regular operational exercises of this kind said Ankit Panda an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceChang Youngkeun a missile expert at Korea Aerospace University in South Korea said that North Korea appeared to have launched an upgraded version of the Hwasong15 ICBM Chang said the information provided by North Korea showed the missile will likely have a longer range than the existing Hwasong15 when launched on a normal trajectoryThe Norths launch came a day after it vowed an unprecedentedly strong response over a series of military drills that Seoul and Washington plan in coming weeksIn a separate statement Sunday Kim Yo Jong the influential sister of Kim Jong Un accused South Korea and the United States of openly showing their dangerous greed and attempt to gain the military upper hand and predominant position in the Korean PeninsulaI warn that we will watch every movement of the enemy and take corresponding and very powerful and overwhelming counteraction against its every move hostile to us Kim Yo Jong saidNorth Korea has steadfastly slammed regular South KoreaUS military trainings as an invasion rehearsal though the allies say their exercises are defensive in natureSome analysts say North Korea often uses South KoreaUS drills as a pretext to test and modernize its weapons arsenals which it believes is essential to win sanctions relief and other concessions from the United StatesBy now we know that any action taken by the US and South Korea however justified from the vantage point of defense and deterrence against North Koreas reckless behavior will be construed and protested as an act of hostility by North Korea said Soo Kim a security analyst at the Californiabased RAND CorporationThere will always be fodder for Kim Jong Uns weapons provocationsWith nuclear weapons in tow and having mastered the art of coercion and bullying Kim does not need selfdefense But pitting the US and South Korea as the aggressors allows Kim to justify his weapons development Soo Kim saidUS National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the US will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and South Korea and Japan South Koreas presidential National Security Council said it will seek to strengthen its overwhelming response capacity against potential North Korean aggression based on the solid military alliance with the United StatesSouth Korean and US military officials plan to hold a tabletop exercise this week to hone a joint response to a potential use of nuclear weapons by North Korea The allies are also to conduct another joint computer simulated exercise and field training in MarchLast year North Korea set an annual record with the launch of more than 70 missiles including nuclearcapable weapons North Korea has said many of those weapons tests were a warning over previous USSouth Korean military drills Last year it also passed a law that allows it to use nuclear weapons preemptively in a broad range of scenariosKim Jong Un entered 2023 with a call for an exponential increase of the countrys nuclear warheads mass production of battlefield tactical nuclear weapons targeting South Korea and the development of more advanced ICBMs targeting the USThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text 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