North Korea says it conducted ICBM test, days ahead of US election

By Helen Regan, Yumi Asada and Gawon Bae, CNN

Tokyo and Seoul (CNN) — North Korea said it conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test on Thursday morning, a launch believed to have achieved the longest flight time yet for a North Korean missile.

The test comes just days ahead of the United States presidential election on Tuesday, and follows warnings from South Korea’s intelligence agency that Pyongyang was planning to launch an ICBM testing its reentry technology around the time of the election.

Japan and South Korea indicated the missile could have been an ICBM.

The missile was fired at “a lofted angle,” meaning it flew almost vertically upwards rather than out, and traveled a distance of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Japanese authorities reported the missile flew for about 86 minutes and to a possible altitude of 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles), before falling into the sea west of Okushiri Island in northern Hokkaido around 8:37 a.m., outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, NHK said.

“The flight time was the longest ever. Possibly the newest missile ever,” Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said.

Seoul said it could have been a “new-type solid-propelled long-range ballistic missile.”

Solid-fueled missiles, like North Korea’s Hwasong-18, would allow Pyongyang to launch long-range nuclear strikes quicker than with missiles that use liquid-fuel technology.

Solid-fueled ICBMs are more stable, and can be moved more easily to avoid detection before a launch that can be initiated in a matter of minutes, experts say – compared with liquid-fueled missiles that may need hours before launch, giving time for adversaries to detect and neutralize the weapon.

North Korea said the launch “demonstrated the modernity and creditability of the world’s most powerful strategic deterrent,” according to state news agency KCNA. State media also reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was at the launch site and referred to the test as “appropriate military action.”

If the missile is confirmed to be an ICBM, it would be North Korea’s first such launch since its Hwasong-18 missile test in December 2023. The missile is a powerful solid-fueled ICBM that North Korea also launched in April and July last year.

During the December test, Japanese authorities reported the missile flew at a highly lofted trajectory for about 73 minutes and to an altitude of 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles).

The missile from Thursday’s test flew higher than North Korea’s previous ICBM test, according to initial analysis by the South Korean military.

While the missile exhibited the range to strike anywhere in the United States, it would need to be fired at a flatter trajectory to hit the country.

The White House described the launch as an ICBM test, calling it “a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.” National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said the launch “needlessly raises tensions” in the region and that the US would “take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and Republic of Korea and Japanese allies.”

South Korea’s military intelligence agency said Wednesday that Pyongyang had finished preparations to carry out its seventh nuclear test at its Punggye-ri test site, and that the test could happen around the time of the US election, according to two lawmakers briefed during a regular parliamentary meeting.

Since conducting its first nuclear test more than a decade ago, North Korea has advanced its weapons capabilities, with the ambition of miniaturizing a warhead so that it can fit on a long-range missile.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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