North Korea tests launch of suspected long-range missile, says South Korea

The launch comes as the US warned North Korean troops in Russian uniforms are heading toward Ukraine in a likely move to augment Russian forces and join the war.

It was not immediately known what specific long-range missile capabilities North Korea aims to test, but the launch was likely meant to grab American attention ahead of next week’s presidential election.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected a ballistic missile launch from North Korea’s capital region around 7.10am on Thursday and flew toward the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

It said the weapon was launched on a high angle and it was suspected of being a long-range ballistic missile.

Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters a preliminary examination shows the launch could involve a new missile, citing its flight duration of one hour and 26 minutes, which he said is the longest for a North Korean missile test.

He said the missile landed in waters outside of the Japanese exclusive economic zone but condemned North Korea’s nuclear and missile development for threatening the safety of Japan and the international community.

South Korea and Japan said they are closely coordinating with the US about the North Korean launch.

The US described the weapon as an intercontinental ballistic missile and condemned North Korea for the launch, saying it violated UN Security Council resolutions and “needlessly” risked raising tensions.

“It only demonstrates that the DPRK continues to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people,” US national security council spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement.

He added that the United States would work to ensure the security of the American homeland and its South Korea and Japanese allies.

If confirmed, it is North Korea’s first test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile since December 2023, when it launched the solid-fueled Hwasong-18 ICBM.

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 agency told politicians on Wednesday that North Korea was close to test-firing a long-range missile capable of reaching the US and has also likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test.

North Korea has made strides in its missile technologies in recent years, but many foreign experts believe the country has yet to acquire a functioning nuclear-armed missile that can strike the US mainland.

They say North Korea likely possesses short-range missiles that can deliver nuclear strikes across all of South Korea.

All of North Korea’s ICBM tests in past years have been performed on lofty angles to avoid neighbouring countries.

South Korean officials and experts earlier predicted that North Korea may test-launch an ICBM on a normal angle to verify whether the weapon’s warhead would survive the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry.

That is considered one of the few remaining technological hurdles North Korea needs to overcome to obtain functioning nuclear-tipped ICBMs.

In September, North Korean state media published a photo of leader Kim Jong Un inspecting what appeared to be a 12-axle missile launch vehicle, the largest mobile launch platform the country has disclosed so far.

Observers said North Korea could develop a new ICBM that is bigger than its existing ones.

In the past two years, Mr 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, the US and others have accused North Korea of dispatching thousands of troops to support Russia’s warfighting against Ukraine. They have said North Korea has already shipped artillery, missiles and other arms to Russia.

North Korea’s possible participation in the Ukraine war would mark a serious escalation. South Korea, the US and their partners also worry about what North Korea could get from Russia in return for joining Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Aside from his soldiers’ wages, experts say Mr Kim likely hopes to get high-tech Russian technology that can perfect his nuclear-capable missiles.

On Wednesday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment are moving toward Ukraine, in what he called a dangerous and destabilising development.

South Korea said North Korea has sent more than 11,000 troops to Russia and more than 3,000 of them have been moved close to battlefields in Western Russia.