North Korea launched a ballistic missile at an altitude of 7000 km. This is a record for Pyongyang
The next intercontinental ballistic missile launched by North Korea rose to a record height of 7,000 km. It flew for 86 minutes and landed in North Korean territorial waters east of the peninsula. The new successful flight worries the US and South Korea, especially in the context of increased military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia.
The next intercontinental ballistic missile launched by North Korea rose to a record height of 7,000 km. It flew for 86 minutes and landed in North Korean territorial waters east of the peninsula. The new successful flight worries the US and South Korea, especially in the context of increased military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia.
Thursday's launch violates UN sanctions and comes amid worsening relations between North and South Korea and increasingly aggressive statements from Pyongyang toward Seoul.
On the day of the test, the North Korean media published a statement by the leader of the DPRK, Kim Jong-un, in which, among other things, it was noted that the launch of the missile showed "the will to respond to the enemies".
"I confirm that [North Korea] will never change the course of building nuclear forces," Kim Jong-un said.
Pyongyang also claims to have tested an underwater nuclear-powered drone, but there are doubts .
The US called Thursday's missile launch a "flagrant violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions."
"This only shows that [North Korea] continues to prioritize its illegal weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people," National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.
Neighboring Japan also said it was watching the launch on Thursday.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a specially convened press conference that North Korea's test-fired missile on Thursday could travel 15,000 km on a normal trajectory.
This means that the missile can theoretically reach almost any point in the United States: the distance in a straight line from Pyongyang to Los Angeles is 9,545 km, to New York is 10,916 km, and to Washington is 11,035 km. The Japanese government has expressed concern that North Korean ballistic missiles could potentially reach the United States as early as 2022.
