North Korea admits to having launched an intercontinental missile: it says it is a warning to South Korea and the USA

North Korea recognized this on Sunday launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and claimed to have done so as a warning to the United States and South Korea. He also said this “surprise” move demonstrated his country’s ability to carry out a “deadly nuclear counterstrike”.

In response, the United States and South Korea performed joint air exercises with a strategic bomber and stealth fighter, according to Seoul.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Saturday morning he ordered the surprise “launch exercise”. A Hwasong-15 missile was fired from Pyongyang airport in the afternoon, according to state-run KCNA news agency. North Korea first tested this weapon in 2017.

The South Korean military said it detected an ICBM launch on Saturday at 5:22 p.m. local time (5:22 a.m. in Argentina). According to the Japanese government, he flew 66 minutes and would have the ability to reach anywhere in the continental United States.

North Korean authorities hailed the weapons test, the first in seven weeks, highlighting “the war-fighting capability of ICBM units that are ready for a powerful and mobile counterattack,” according to KCNA. The launch is “clear proof” of the reliability of the “powerful nuclear deterrent” North Korean, KCNA added.

The shot was condemned by South Korea, the United States and Japan, which ensured that the device fell within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as well as by the G7 and the European Union (EU).

The exercise came as South Korea and the United States prepare to hold a drill next week in Washington know what steps to take if Pyongyang uses nuclear weapons.

This piqued the ire of North Korea, which on Friday threatened an “unprecedented” response to what it called war preparations.

According to US security expert Ankit Panda, Saturday’s shooting is of significant significance because “it was ordered on the same day, so this is not a traditional ‘test’but an exercise.” “There will be more exercises of this kind,” he added.

Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha University, said it was the first time Pyongyang provided a detailed account from firing order to launch. This test “proves it Youall these weapons are deployed for actual combat and ready to launch at any time,” he told AFP.

For Soo Kim, a former CIA analyst, the nine hours between the leader’s order and the launch are “a long time”. According to her, Pyongyang could face “greater challenges” if it launches under “realistic” conditions.

Relations between the two Koreas are at their lowest point in years, after the North declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear power and Kim called for an “exponential” increase in weapons production, including tactical nuclear weapons. .

In response, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has sought to step up security cooperation with the United States, with more joint military exercises. North Korean spokeswoman and Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong said on Sunday that the South’s actions “exacerbate the situation more by the moment, destroying regional stability”according to KCNA.

“I warn you We will observe all the movements of the enemy and we will take very powerful and overwhelming corresponding countermeasures against all these hostile movements against us,” he added.

The shooting and Pyongyang’s statements indicate “the beginning of high-intensity provocations by North Korea,” Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha University, told AFP. According to Park, Pyongyang’s attitude could indicate that the internal situation has worsened.

South Korean officials recently warned the country could face a serious shortage of food following the long isolation due to the pandemic.

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