North Korea tests powerful new missile as global tensions rise
North Korean media reported on Friday the successful test of "the world's most powerful strategic missile"—the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-19. The test was conducted a day earlier in the presence of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae.
According to reports from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the Hwasong-19 missile reached an altitude of 25,220 feet and flew a distance of 622 miles in a straight line during a flight lasting nearly 86 minutes.
This was the longest flight duration in the history of North Korean missile tests. The South Korean military detected the missile launch from the vicinity of Pyongyang at 6:10 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday.
Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction with the success of the test, emphasizing that it proves "the hegemonic position" that the North "has secured in the development and production of delivery systems for nuclear weapons of the same kind is absolutely unthreatened." Photos published by KCNA show the dictator alongside his daughter, which may suggest that Kim Ju Ae is being groomed as a successor.
Reuters points out that the Hwasong-19 test and previous ICBM trials demonstrate a range that allows strikes on nearly any location in the United States.
Critical stance on the test
However, it is unclear whether the North Korean military possesses the ability to precisely guide such a missile and protect the nuclear warhead during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. According to the AP, the characteristics of the flames visible in the photos suggest that the Hwasong-19 is powered by solid fuel.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the EU's Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell have strongly condemned Pyongyang's actions. The United States, South Korea, Japan, and Germany have also expressed critical positions on the test.
