North Korean state media reported on Monday (September 13) that the country has tested a new long-range cruise missile that can cover most of Japan.
According to the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the missile test conducted over the weekend had a flight distance of 1,500 kilometers (930 miles).
The relevant tests did not violate the UN Security Council resolutions, which have imposed severe sanctions on North Korea in the past.
But this news shows that North Korea still has the ability to develop weapons despite food shortages and economic crises.
KCNA reported that the test firing is of “strategic importance” for ensuring North Korea’s security by deterrence and for “effectively deterring” foreign enemies’ military operations.
The UN Security Council sanctions prohibit North Korea from conducting ballistic missile tests.
The Security Council believes that ballistic missiles are more threatening than cruise missiles because of their greater carrying capacity, longer range, and faster flight speed.
Ballistic missiles are carried by a rocket and fly along a parabolic trajectory; while cruise missiles are driven by an aircraft engine and fly at low altitudes.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu said that “Japan has strong concerns” and is cooperating with the United States and South Korea to follow the development of the situation.
The US military also responded, stating that the test launch showed that North Korea “continues to focus on the development of its military projects, posing a threat to neighboring countries and the international community.”
The U.S. military also stated that the U.S.’s commitment to defending South Korea’s and Japanese allies “remains unwavering.”
Senior officials from the United States, Japan and South Korea will meet this week to discuss matters related to the denuclearization process of North Korea.
Yonhap News Agency stated that the South Korean military is cooperating with US intelligence agencies to conduct in-depth analysis of related tests.
The United States has been calling on North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons, and the relationship between Pyongyang and the Biden administration has been in a state of tension.
The long-term tension between Japan and North Korea stems from Japan’s 35-year colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula. The development of nuclear weapons and missile technology by Pyongyang and the kidnapping of Japanese citizens by North Korea in the past have also disturbed Japan.
analyze
Laura Bicker, BBC correspondent in Seoul
Some people may not comment on this missile test, because it is a cruise missile. Such missiles did not violate the current UN sanctions on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
Some people may see this as a low-end provocation by Pyongyang—perhaps testing the waters to see how it reacts. It certainly did not make headlines in South Korea, nor did it appear on the front page of North Korean official newspapers.
The problem is that North Korea has once again proved that it can still develop new dangerous weapons under strict international sanctions.
This kind of cruise missile flies at low altitudes, it is difficult to detect, and the range of 1,500 kilometers will be able to cover many places in Japan.
The official media also described these missiles as “strategic,” which usually means that the North Korean authorities hope to install nuclear warheads on them.
Analysts have not yet confirmed whether North Korea can miniaturize its nuclear warhead so that it can be loaded into a cruise missile. However, given the progress this mysterious regime has made so far, no one will bet that it cannot do it.
Since the Hanoi talks between Trump and Kim Jong Un collapsed in 2019, Pyongyang may have been relatively silent.
However, this does not mean that its weapons development department has been idle.
A few days before this test launch, Pyongyang had just conducted a reduced military parade to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the communist regime.
During the military parade, no large ballistic missiles were displayed, but there were staff wearing protective clothing. This may indicate that a special force has been established to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
As of August 19, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that North Korea had not recorded any confirmed cases of COVID-19-but critics said it was unlikely.
North Korea has blocked its borders for more than a year and cut off trade with China, its largest ally, during the epidemic. The outside world believes that North Korea’s economy is in a very difficult situation.
However, Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program has not been curtailed.
In March of this year, North Korea tested ballistic missiles in violation of the sanctions order, triggering strong condemnation from the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
Last month, the UN’s Atomic Energy Department stated that North Korea appeared to have restarted a nuclear reaction facility that might produce the plutonium element needed for nuclear weapons. The department called the progress “deeply disturbing.”