North Korea tests ballistic missile with range into the USA
According to South Korean and Japanese reports, Pyongyang first fired a suspected short-range ballistic missile and later a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile in two missile tests on Sunday and Monday. According to Japanese information, the latter missile had a range of more than 15,000 kilometers and could therefore theoretically have hit any part of US territory.
According to South Korean information, it was a solid-fuel missile. Missiles of this type are easier to transport and faster to fire than those with liquid propellant.
This is the third time that North Korea has tested a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile, following launches in April and July. According to experts, the continued tests indicate ongoing efforts to improve the technology. Pyongyang had declared that it had fired missiles of the "Hwasong-18" type during the previous launches. However, the government has not yet commented on the latest test on Monday.
In addition to South Korea, the USA and Japan also reacted with harsh criticism. Japanese head of government Fumio Kishida spoke of a "clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions" and a "threat to peace and stability in the region, which we condemn in the strongest terms". A spokesperson for the US State Department also stated that the missile launches violated "several resolutions" of the most powerful body of the United Nations.
China, on the other hand, demonstratively backed North Korea. The "traditional friendship" between China and North Korea is a "valuable asset for both sides", said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday in Beijing to North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho, who led a delegation in Beijing.
Beijing also emphasized the close relations between the two countries. China and North Korea have "always firmly supported and trusted" each other in the face of the "turbulent world situation" and "demonstrated the strategic importance of friendly bilateral cooperation", said China's chief diplomat Wang, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Asked about the missile tests, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that the country had "taken note of the latest developments". "The issue of the peninsula is complex and complicated," the spokesperson continued, adding that "military deterrence and pressure" would only increase tensions.
The UN Security Council has passed numerous resolutions calling on North Korea to halt its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea carried out its first nuclear test in 2006.
China is North Korea's most important political and economic partner. However, trade between the two countries came to a standstill after Pyongyang closed its borders in 2020 following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Recently, there have been increasing signs that the diplomatically largely isolated country is opening up again. In recent months, head of state Kim Jong Un and other officials and athletes have made a number of rare trips abroad.
The USA and South Korea had warned in recent days that a nuclear attack by North Korea would result in the end of the leadership in Pyongyang. The two allies held the second meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group in Washington on Friday. The meeting focused on nuclear deterrence with a view to a possible conflict with North Korea.
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Source: www.stern.de
