SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile on Tuesday that could be more powerful than the “hypersonic missile” launched days earlier, the South Korean weapon reported, the second test in less than a week. reflecting Pyongyang’s desire to develop an increasingly efficient arsenal.
North Korea announced last week that it had successfully tested a hypersonic missile, after Kim Jong-un said in his New Year’s greetings that he wanted to strengthen North Korean military capabilities in the face of a judged international situation. unstable.
According to a statement from the Chief of Staff of the South Korean army, the first evaluations showed that the missile traveled more than 700 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 60 km and reached a maximum speed of 12,348 kilometers per hour, or about ten times the speed of sound.
“We believe that this is a more advanced missile than the one launched by North Korea on January 5, even if the South Korean and American intelligence services are continuing their detailed analyzes”, it is specified in this press release
According to the South Korean weapon, the projectile was detected around 07:27 a.m. (22:27 GMT Monday) and was fired from the North Korean province of Jagang, in the northwest of the country, towards the coast. East of the country.
Last week, the South Korean army had cast doubts on Pyongyang’s announcement of the successful firing of a hypersonic missile, saying it had not noticed a major advance in the North Korean ballistic program.
INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION
“This new test could be intended to send a message to the South, after the authorities of Soul judged that the last test was a failure and did not relate to a hypersonic missile”, estimated Kim Dong-yup, former naval officer. South Korean which now teaches Kyungnam Soul University.
Unlike ballistic missiles, which fly into space before taking a more direct path, hypersonic missiles fly low towards their target and can reach five times the speed of sound – or about 6,200 km / h.
In the wake of this new firing, the National Security Council of South Korea organized an extraordinary meeting during which its members expressed their “deep regret” at the occurrence of this test at a crucial time for the regional stability, the South Korean presidency said in a statement.
They also urged Pyongyang to resume dialogue and cooperation, while discussions with the United States and South Korea on the denuclarization of the peninsula are still blocked.
CONCERN FOR REGIONAL STABILITY
The United States Military Command for the Indo-Pacific Zone (INDOPACOM) has said that although it did not consider that the fire did not represent an immediate threat to the United States or its allies, it “underlines the impact destabilizer of North Korea’s clandestine weapons program. “
In Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the press that it was “extremely regrettable” that Pyongyang continued to launch missiles, pointing out that the new fire came after the United Nations had just finished talks about response to last week’s shooting.
This new North Korean shot comes the day after the condemnation by the United States diplomatic mission, the United Nations, supported by France, the United Kingdom and Japan in particular, of the test carried out last week by Pyongyang.
“These actions fuel the risk of escalation and represent a significant threat to the stability of the region,” said the American ambassador to the United Nations in a statement published on Monday.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield once again called on North Korea to return to the negotiating table and abandon its nuclear and ballistic programs.
A series of United Nations Security Council resolutions, accompanied by sanctions against Pyongyang, prohibit any test of North Korean ballistic and nuclear missiles.
However, China and Russia are trying to suggest an easing of the sanctions weighing on North Korea, arguing in particular for a lifting of the embargo on exports of seafood and textiles as well as a cap on imports of refined oil. .
Following this new firing, Linda Thomas-Greenfield once again called on the international community to apply these sanctions and invited Pyongyang to return to the table of discussions.
North Korea says it is open to discussions, but only if Washington and others abandon their “hostile policies” to it.
(Reporting Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith Soul, with the contribution of the Tokyo office and David Brunnstrom Washington, written by Josh Smith; French version Jean Terzian and Myriam Rivet, said by Blandine Hnault)
by Josh Smith and Hyonhee Shin