Questions remain about the missile’s ability to guide and protect its nuclear warhead. The Hwasong-19 is North Korea’s latest ICBM, believed to have the range to reach the United States.
“The new ICBM has demonstrated to the world the hegemony we have secured in developing and producing nuclear weapons,” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed.
Footage of North Korea's missile test. (Photo: Getty)
According to North Korea, the missile launched on October 31 flew higher than any previous North Korean missile, and they saw the missile's flight path deep into space before falling into the sea between Japan and Russia.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) hailed it as “the world’s most powerful strategic missile.” Washington and its allies in South Korea, Japan and Europe, as well as the UN Secretary-General, condemned North Korea’s missile launch.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said the missile landed about 300km west of Japan's Okushiri Island, off the coast of Hokkaido, and had flown the longest distance of any previous North Korean missile.
“This is the longest flight time of any rocket so far. I think it might be different from a conventional rocket,” Mr. Nakatani said.
Yonhap news agency added that North Korea has not test-launched a ballistic missile since September this year and has not launched an ICBM since December 2023. In recent years, North Korea has test-launched ballistic missiles and intercontinental missiles at an increasingly rapid pace.
North Korea is stepping up its production of tactical nuclear weapons. Kim Jong-un has ordered the development of new intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of nuclear counterattacks, as well as the production of tactical nuclear weapons with great destructive power.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/trieu-tien-tuyen-bo-thu-nghiem-ten-lua-manh-nhat-the-gioi-hwasong-19-ar905076.html
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