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North Korea said on Monday, according to the state news agency KCNA, that it successfully tested a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) on Sunday, marking the first time a nuclear-capable missile of that size has been launched since 2017.
South Korean and Japanese officials were the first to report the launch on Sunday. Analysts and officials speculated that the test involved an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), which North Korea hasn’t fired since 2017 when it stopped testing its largest missiles and nuclear bombs.
According to KCNA, the inspection fire test was conducted with the purpose of selectively inspecting the ground-to-ground mid-range long-range ballistic missile Hwasong-12 and verifying the overall accuracy of the weapon system. According to North Korea, the Hwasong-12 is capable of carrying a “large-size heavy nuclear warhead.”
According to KCNA, the missile launch was carried out in a manner that ensured the safety of neighbouring countries, and the test warhead was equipped with a camera that took images while in orbit.
Images from space of North Korea and its environs were captured by a round camera lens and released by state media. According to analysts, North Korea took the first photos in 2017.
The test, which was at least the seventh in January and one of the busiest ever for North Korea’s advancing missile programme, was not reported to have been attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Sunday that the launch brings North Korea one step closer to lifting its self-imposed ban on testing its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Kim has stated that he is no longer bound by the nuclear test ban, which was announced in 2018 amid a flurry of diplomacy and summits with then-US President Donald Trump.
North Korea suggested this month that it might resume testing because the US and its allies have shown no signs of abandoning their “hostile policies.”
It’s unclear whether Kim’s moratorium applied to IRBMs like the Hwasong-12, but they haven’t been tested since 2017.
North Korea flew the Hwasong-12 at least six times that year, with three successful and three unsuccessful flights.
North Korea fired the missile over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido in two of the tests, causing controversy.
North Korea said it fired the missile on a high trajectory “to ensure the safety of neighbouring nations” during the test on Sunday.
KCNA said that the test “proved the precision, safety, and operational efficacy of the manufactured Hwasong-12 type armament system.”
