‘without warning’
Nuclear-armed North Korea fired an unprecedented number of missiles last year, including an ICBM capable of striking anywhere in the United States, while resuming preparations for its first nuclear test since 2017.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said Saturday’s launch “clearly” signals the North’s intention to conduct additional provocations.
“If North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear test, which could happen at any time, it would be a game changer in the sense that North Korea can develop and deploy tactical nuclear missiles,” Park told the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. “
The KCNA said the launch, directed by the Missile General Bureau, was conducted on an “emergency firepower combat standby order” given at dawn, followed by a written order from Kim Jong Un at 8 a.m. South Korea’s military said it detected the missile at 5:22 p.m.
“The important thing here is that the exercise was ordered without warning to the crew involved,” said Ankit Panda, a missile expert at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “With additional testing the amount of time between order and launch is likely to decrease.”
The KCNA said the military unit received an “excellent mark” on the drill and the North’s ruling party “highly appreciated the real combat capability of the ICBM units, which are mobile and ready for powerful counter-attacks.”
Analysts say North Korea may test more weapons, including a possible new solid-fuel missile that could help North Korea rapidly deploy its missiles in the event of war.
North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs are restricted under UN Security Council resolutions, but Pyongyang says its weapons development is necessary to counter “hostile policies” by Washington and its allies.