North Korea Launches Suspected New Long-Range Missile Designed to Strike US

SEOUL, South Korea: rth Korea test-launched a suspected new long-range missile designed to strike continental U.S. on Thursday, its neighbors said, as United States warned that rth Korean troops in Russian uniforms are heading toward Ukraine likely to augment Russian forces and join war.

specific long-range missile capabilities rth Korea was testing were t kwn, but launch was likely meant to grab American attention ahead of U.S. election Tuesday.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected a ballistic missile launch from rth Korea’s capital region around 7:10 a.m. and that weapon flew toward waters between Korean Peninsula and Japan. It said weapon was launched on a high angle and it was suspected of being a long-range ballistic missile.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters that a preliminary examination shows launch could involve a new missile, citing its flight duration of one hour and 26 minutes, which he said is longest for a rth Korean missile test. He said missile landed in waters outside of Japanese exclusive ecomic zone but condemned rth Korea’s nuclear and missile development for threatening safety of Japan and international community.

South Korea and Japan said y are closely coordinating with U.S. about rth Korean launch.

United States described weapon as an intercontinental ballistic missile and condemned rth Korea for launch, saying it violated U.N. Security Council resolutions and “needlessly” risked raising tensions.

“It only demonstrates that DPRK continues to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over well-being of its people,” U.S. national security council spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement. He added that United States would work to ensure security of American homeland and its South Korea and Japanese allies.

rth Korea last test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile in December 2023, when it launched solid-fueled Hwasong-18. Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and hide and can be launched quicker than liquid-propellant weapons.

South Korea’s military intelligence ncy told lawmakers Wednesday that rth Korea was close to test-firing a long-range missile capable of reaching United States and has also likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test.

rth Korea has made strides in its missile techlogies in recent years, but many foreign experts believe country has yet to acquire functioning nuclear-armed missile that can strike U.S. mainland. y say rth Korea likely possesses short-range missiles that can deliver nuclear strikes across all of South Korea.

One of techlogical hurdles rth Korea still faces is for its weapons to be capable of surviving harsh conditions of atmospheric reentry. South Korean officials and experts earlier said rth Korea may test-launch a ICBM on a rmal angle to verify that capability.

In September, rth Korean state media published a photo of Kim inspecting what appeared to be a 12-axle missile launch vehicle, largest mobile launch platform country has disclosed so far. Observers cited vehicle as evidence rth Korea could be developing an ICBM that is bigger than its existing ones.

In past two years, Kim has used Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a window to ramp up weapons tests and threats while also expanding military cooperation with Moscow. South Korea, U.S. and ors have recently accused rth Korea of dispatching thousands of troops to support Russia’s warfighting against Ukraine. y've said rth Korea has already shipped artillery, missiles and or convectional arms to Russia.

rth Korea's possible participation in Ukraine war would mark a serious escalation. South Korea, U.S. and ir partners also worry about what rth Korea could get from Russia in return for joining Russia’s war against Ukraine. Aside from his soldiers’ ws, experts say Kim Jong Un likely hopes to get high-tech Russian techlogy that can perfect his nuclear-capable missiles.

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said rth Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment are moving toward Ukraine, in what he called a dangerous and destabilizing development. Austin spoke at a news conference in Washington with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.

South Korea said Wednesday that rth Korea has sent more than 11,000 troops to Russia and that more than 3,000 of m have been moved close to battlefields in western Russia