North Korea launches intercontinental missile, prepares for large-scale nuclear test

the army of South Korea reported that three missiles from the North Korea were fired on Wednesday, the 25th, including what is believed to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17. According to South Korea’s deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo, North Korea also appears to have carried out several experiments with a detonation device in preparation for its seventh nuclear test, but that the next one is unlikely. testing takes place in the next few days – for weeks, US and South Korean authorities have been warning of this possibility. “The chance of an imminent nuclear test in a day or two is low, but after that there is certainly a chance,” Kim said.

The launch, the latest in a series of weapons tests carried out by Pyongyang this year, comes at a time when US President Joe Biden, concludes a trip to South Korea and Japan. South Korea’s deputy national security adviser also said the tests in question were being conducted far from North Korea’s main nuclear test site, which is closely guarded by Seoul. “North Korean officials are nearing the final stage of preparing a nuclear test of the scale and quality they want,” the South Korean official told reporters.

You U.S and South Korea reacted to the provocation and fired surface-to-ground missiles in response to the alleged ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile), the Seoul army said, adding that live fire exercises were also carried out, including surface-to-surface missile tests involving the The US Army’s Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the South Korean Hyunmoo-2 SRBM, military officials from both countries said. They also made other military displays of force, such as dozens of fighter jets in an “Elephant Walk” formation, highlighting new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s tougher policy on North Korea’s accelerated weapons testing.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (center L) and US President Joe Biden arrive for a state dinner at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul on May 21, 2022

During a meeting with President Joe Biden, new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol promised at a summit over the weekend that the US would step up joint military exercises and deploy more “strategic assets” – typically bombers, submarines or nuclear-capable aircraft carrier – to the region if necessary to stop North Korea. “Our military’s show of force was meant to underline our determination to firmly respond to any North Korean provocations, including an ICBM launch, and our overwhelming ability and readiness to carry out a surgical strike at the source of the provocation,” the chief said. of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea in a statement.

Despite facing a recent outbreak of Covid-19, Pyongyang has resumed construction of a nuclear reactor that had been stalled, according to new satellite images. The office linked to the South Korean presidency did not provide further details about the nuclear detonation device that would have been tested. Of the three firings carried out on Wednesday, Kim Tae-hyo pointed out that “the first launch was determined to be from the new ICBM, the Hwasong-17”, which the North had already tried to test in the past. North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, recently insisted on defending its military modernization program after conducting nearly 20 weapons tests this year. Analysts have warned that the North Korean head of state may accelerate his plans for nuclear tests to distract his country’s population from the current coronavirus outbreak.

*With information from AFP and EFE