The test of a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile has proven its accuracy and effectiveness for use, the state media reported on Monday – one day after the test flight. The “medium-range and long-range ballistic surface-to-surface missile” is in production. According to experts, the Hwasong-12, which has already been tested several times, has a range of 4500 kilometers and could theoretically reach the US Pacific island of Guam, where the US has a military base.
UN resolutions ban North Korea from testing both nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. These are usually surface-to-surface missiles that, depending on the design, can also carry a nuclear warhead. North Korea is also developing long-range missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to the United States. Pyongyang accuses the US of hostile policies, which Washington denies. The US negotiations with North Korea about its nuclear weapons program have not progressed for a good three years.
The United States and its allies South Korea and Japan sharply criticized North Korea’s seventh missile test this year on Sunday. South Korean President Moon Jae In accused the neighboring country of wanting to stoke new tensions with its missile tests. According to the South Korean military, the medium-range missile flew about 800 kilometers east before crashing into the Sea of Japan (Korean: East Sea).
According to observers, North Korea wants to demonstrate its strength both internally and externally with its missile tests. After the United States recently imposed new sanctions on his country, ruler Kim Jong Un indicated that he would be able to test long-range missiles and nuclear bombs again. (SDA)