North Korea Tests Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, Heightening Concerns

North Korea test launched two missiles in the 24 hours leading up to Monday morning, U.S. time, the second one an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) theoretically capable of reaching anywhere in the U.S. mainland, according to officials in South Korea and Japan.

The North’s leader Kim Jong Un watched with a smile as his military showed off its new long-range missiles during recent parades in the capital city of Pyongyang — some of them likely similar to the one launched Monday morning. This has been a record year for North Korea’s weapons testing program. The nation has launched at least 36 missiles, including a rocket that

South Korean officials described the long-range weapon tested Monday as a solid fuel-powered missile, suggesting it was probably the Kim regime’s Hwasong-18 ICBM. A solid fuel system, compared to the older liquid fuels, makes a missile much more mobile and faster to deploy, and from anywhere its launch vehicle can be driven. That makes such a weapon system more difficult for adversaries to detect and prepare for prior to a launch.

Adm. John Aquilino, head of the U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command, was quoted Monday by Japan’s Kyodo news agency as saying that all of North Korea’s ‘increased missile capabilities and testing — from ICBM all the way to the space launch vehicle last month — is concerning.’ But he told reporters in Tokyo that the U.S., Japan, and South Korea had been ‘able to predict a launch’ and, just two days before it, ‘actually pushed our ballistic missile defense ships forward to be postured to defend our three nations for this expected launch.’

All of North Korea’s launches violate United Nations Security Council resolutions that ban missile development by the Kim regime. Kim, however, insists his isolated nation needs to develop its weapons, including its nuclear missiles, to defend against the threat of an attack by the U.S. and its allies. Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo insist the threat to regional peace is from Kim and his military and they say there’s no intention to attack or invade North Korea.

The two most recent launches appeared to be a response by Kim’s government to nuclear deterrence talks taking place in Washington between the U.S. and South Korea – and the reported arrival over the weekend of a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine in South Korea’s Busan port.