North Korea Confirms Testing Of ICBM, First Longest Ballistic Missile

Authorities in South Korea and Japan reported that North Korea has confirmed that it launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) toward waters off its eastern coast. This was the longest flight time ever recorded by a North Korean missile, raising concerns about advanced weapons development on the part of Pyongyang.

According to the KCNA state news agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was present at the missile test launch and warned his enemies.

According to KCNA, Kim was quoted as saying, “The test-fire is an appropriate military action that fully meets the purpose of informing the rivals, who have deliberately escalated the regional situation and posed a threat to the security of our Republic recently, of our counteraction will.”

The missile fired toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, was detected at approximately 7:10 a.m. local time (22:10 GMT) and was fired on a “lofted trajectory,” according to a statement issued by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea.

Later, the JCS said that initial analysis suggests that North Korea might use a new solid-fuel booster for its long-range missiles.

According to Gen. Nakatani, Japan’s Defense Minister, the missile had flown for the longest time of any of Pyongyang’s previous missile tests, splashing down approximately 300 kilometers (190 miles) west of Japan’s Okushiri Island off the northern Hokkaido region.