SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Friday boasted about its recently tested new intercontinental ballistic missile, calling it “the world’s most powerful,” a claim that outside experts dismissed as propaganda, though the test showed progress in North Korea’s quest to build a more reliable arsenal.
A missile launched by North Korea on Thursday flew higher and stayed in the air longer than any other weapon the country has fired to date, signaling that North Korea has made progress toward acquiring a nuclear-capable ICBM capable of striking the U.S. mainland. But outside experts estimate that the country must resolve some remaining technological issues before it can acquire such a functioning ICBM.
On Friday, North Korea’s Korean News Agency identified the missile as the “Hwasong-19” ICBM and called it “the world’s most powerful strategic missile” and “the most sophisticated weapon system.”
KCNA said leader Kim Jong Un observed the launch and described it as “an appropriate military action” to express North Korea’s determination to respond to moves by its enemies that have heightened tensions and threatened North Korea’s national security. It said Kim thanked weapons scientists for demonstrating North Korea’s “unparalleled strategic nuclear strike capability.” South Korea’s military has previously said North Korea could have tested a solid-fuel missile, but KCNA’s Friday dispatch did not say what fuel the Hwasong-19 ICBM uses. Observers say the color of the exhaust flames seen in North Korean media photos during the launch still suggests the new ICBM uses solid fuel.
Before Thursday’s test, North Korea’s most advanced ICBM was known as the “Hwasong-18” missile, which uses solid fuels. Pre-loaded solid fuels make missiles easier to move and require much less preparation time for launch than liquid fuels that must be refilled before launch. This makes it harder for opponents to detect launches from solid-fueled missiles.
In recent years, North Korea has reported steady progress in its efforts to acquire missiles with nuclear warheads. Many foreign experts believe that North Korea most likely has missiles capable of launching nuclear strikes on all of South Korea, but it has yet to possess nuclear missiles capable of traveling to the U.S. mainland.
There are questions about whether North Korea has acquired the technology to protect nuclear warheads from the high temperatures and stressful environment of atmospheric reentry. Many foreign analysts say North Korea also needs improved altitude control and guidance systems for missiles. They say North Korea needs the ability to mount multiple warheads on a single missile to defeat its rivals’ missile defenses.
All of North Korea’s known ICBM tests, including Thursday’s, have been conducted at steep angles to avoid neighboring countries. South Korean military spokesman Lee Sung Joon said Thursday that a high-angle launch cannot verify a missile’s reentry technology, though North Korea has previously claimed to have acquired that technology.
Observers say Thursday’s launch, North Korea’s first ICBM test in nearly a year, was largely intended to get U.S. attention just days before the U.S. presidential election and to respond to international condemnation of North Korea’s reported shipment of troops to Russia in support of its war against Ukraine.
The reported troop shipment by North Korea underscores growing military cooperation between South Korea, the U. North Korea and Russia. S. and other countries have been concerned that North Korea wants to use advanced, sensitive Russian technology to perfect its nuclear and missile programs in exchange for participation in the war between Russia and Ukraine.