The Korean Central News Agency confirmed on the 19th that North Korea successfully launched the “Hwasong-15” intercontinental ballistic missile on the afternoon of the 18th. On the 19th, the Korean Central News Agency also published a speech by Kim Yo-jong, Vice Minister of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, urging the United States to stop all actions that threaten North Korea’s national security. The words and deeds of the DPRK are considered to be a warning to the upcoming “extended use of deterrent means” exercise between the United States and South Korea. Recently, the United States, South Korea, and Japan have frequently conducted military operations in Northeast Asia. South Korea released the “2022 National Defense White Paper” on the 16th, and once again regarded North Korea as an “enemy” after six years. “. In response, North Korea has also fired missiles at an unprecedented frequency multiple times. What worries the United States, South Korea and Japan is that the range of the intercontinental ballistic missile launched by North Korea may exceed 14,000 kilometers, which can “cover the entire United States.” On the 19th, the United States and South Korea dispatched strategic bombers to conduct a joint military exercise “demonstration against North Korea.” As the confrontation between the two sides has become more and more intense, South Korea’s “World Journal” stated that “the spring of the peninsula is about to enter the climax of tension.”
According to the Korean Central News Agency, the intercontinental missile launched on the 18th had a maximum flight altitude of 5,768.5 kilometers and flew about 989 kilometers, “accurately striking target waters on the high seas.” According to the report, the surprise launch was carried out by the First Red Banner Hero Company of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Operations Force, which made great contributions in launching the “Mars-17” new intercontinental ballistic missile mission in November 2022. (The launch) was not planned in advance, but was organized suddenly according to the order issued by the chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea at 8:00am on the 18th. It reconfirmed and verified the credibility of the weapon system, and at the same time “highlighted the importance of North Korea’s nuclear force.” The state of war readiness proves that the DPRK’s nuclear deterrence capability is completely reliable in its operability, responsiveness, reliability, effectiveness, and combatability.” The sudden ICBM launch training under the situation where the US and South Korea’s military threats are becoming more and more serious is “a demonstration of the unremitting efforts of North Korea’s strategic nuclear forces to build a lethal nuclear counterattack capability against hostile forces, and a credible proof of North Korea’s nuclear deterrence.”