North Korea Is Launching Icbms With A Range To Hit Anywhere In The Us Japan Says

The United States quickly condemned the launch and vowed to take “all necessary measures” to guarantee the security of its own mainland and allies South Korea and Japan. At the APEC regional summit in Bangkok, Thailand, Vice President Kamala Harris called Friday’s launch a “brazen violation of multiple United Nations security resolutions” that “destabilizes security in the region and unnecessarily escalates tensions. We strongly condemn these actions and we reiterate our call for North Korea to cease further illegal, destabilizing actions. Vice President Kamala Harris holds a meeting on North Korea’s missile launch on November 18, 2022, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo of South Korea, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok, Thailand. Haiyun Jiang/Pool/Reuters “Together, the countries represented here will continue to urge North Korea to commit to serious and sustained diplomacy,” he continued. Later on Friday, South Korea’s military said F-35 fighter jets conducted simulated airstrikes on North Korean mobile missile launchers. The exercise took place at a firing range near its land border with the North. South Korea’s General Staff said eight South Korean and US fighter jets separately conducted a training flight off the east coast of the Korean peninsula.
The exercises “demonstrated that we have a strong resolve to deal sternly with an ICBM launch and any other provocations and threats from North Korea, as well as the overwhelming ability and readiness of allies to launch precision strikes against the enemy,” the Joint Chiefs said. statement. A photo provided by the South Korean General Staff is said to show an F-35 fighter jet of the South Korean Air Force participating in an exercise on November 18, 2022. South Korean Joint Staff/Information On the other hand, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, said that while Moscow prefers a diplomatic approach to the Korean peninsula, “it is particularly evident recently that the United States and its allies those in the area prefer a different path. It’s like Pyongyang’s patience is being tested.” Agence France-Presse reported Moscow’s reaction. Pyongyang’s ongoing spate of weapons tests seeks to advance its nuclear arsenal and win greater concessions in potential diplomacy, and the launches come as China and Russia have opposed US moves to tighten sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear program of the North. South Korea’s General Staff said it detected the launch of an ICBM from the North Korean capital around 10:15 am. and the gun flew to the east coast of the North across the country. Japan said the ICBM appeared to have flown into a high orbit and landed west of Hokkaido. A file photo broadcast by North Korean state television on August 29, 2017 shows the country’s leader Kim Jong Un allegedly watching the launch of a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile (called a KN-17 missile by the US) from a location near in Pyongyang. Reuters/KRT According to South Korean and Japanese estimates, the North Korean missile flew about 3,600-3,790 miles at a maximum height of 620 miles.
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters that the height suggested the missile was launched at a high angle. He said that depending on the weight of a warhead mounted on the missile, the weapon has a range in excess of 9,320 miles, “in which case it could cover the entire continental United States.” US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the launch “unnecessarily escalates tensions and risks destabilizing” regional security, while showing the North is prioritizing its illicit weapons programs over the well-being of its people. He said President Biden was briefed on the launch. “Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilizing actions and instead choose diplomatic engagement,” Watson said. A television screen shows a file image of a North Korean missile launch during a news broadcast at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, November 18, 2022. South Korea said the missile North Korea fired on Friday is likely an intercontinental ballistic missile ballistic missile. Ahn Young-joon / AP Hamada, the Japanese defense minister, called the launch “a reckless act that threatens Japan as well as the region and the international community.”
South Korea’s Chief of Staff called the launch a “serious provocation and serious threat” that undermines international and regional peace and security. It said South Korea maintains its readiness to give “a crushing response to any North Korean provocation” amid close coordination with the United States. After being informed of the launch, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered officials to strengthen security cooperation with the United States and Japan and implement unspecified deterrence measures previously agreed to with the United States. Yun also ordered officials to push for strong international condemnation and sanctions on North Korea, according to his office. US and South Korea extend joint military exercises 04:24 North Korea also launched an ICBM on Nov. 3, but experts said the weapon failed to fly its intended path and fell into the ocean after a phase separation. This test is believed to have involved a developmental ICBM called the Hwasong-17. North Korea has two other types of ICBMs – Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-15 – and their test launches in 2017 proved that they could potentially reach parts of the US homeland. The Hwasong-17 has a longer dynamic range than the others, and its sheer size suggests it is designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads to defeat missile defense systems. Some experts say the Nov. 3 test showed some technological progress in the development of the Hwasong-17, since in its previous test in March, the missile exploded immediately after launch. It was not immediately known whether North Korea fired another Hwasong-17 missile on Friday or something else. In recent months, North Korea has conducted dozens of shorter-range missile tests, which it called simulations of nuclear attacks on South Korean and US targets. However, it had halted weapons launches for about a week before launching a short-range ballistic missile on Thursday. Ahead of Thursday’s launch, the North’s foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, threatened to unleash “tougher” military responses to the US stepping up its security commitment to allies South Korea and Japan. Choe was referring to Mr Biden’s recent trilateral summit with Mr Yun and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of a regional gathering in Cambodia. In their joint statement, the three leaders strongly condemned North Korea’s recent missile tests and agreed to work together to strengthen deterrence. Mr. Biden reaffirmed the US commitment to defend South Korea and Japan with a full range of capabilities, including its nuclear weapons. Choe did not say what steps North Korea might take, but said “the US will be well aware that they are taking a gamble, which they will certainly regret.” Pyongyang sees the US military presence in the region as evidence of its hostility towards North Korea. It said its recent weapons launches were its response to provocative military exercises between the United States and South Korea. North Korea has faced multiple rounds of sanctions from the United Nations for its past nuclear and missile tests. However, no new sanctions have been imposed this year, although it has carried out dozens of ballistic missile launches, which are prohibited by UN Security Council resolutions. This is probably because China and Russia, two of the veto-wielding members of the UN Council, oppose the new UN sanctions. Washington is locked in a strategic rivalry with Beijing and a standoff with Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. There have been concerns that North Korea may conduct its first nuclear test in five years as its next major step towards strengthening its military capability against the United States and its allies.
In late October, US and South Korean officials confirmed to CBS News that Pyongyang was preparing to test an atomic weapon soon, in what would be its first nuclear test since 2017.
The North has argued for a US military presence in the region as evidence of its hostility towards the country. It said its recent weapons launches were in response to provocative military exercises between the United States and South Korea. More