North Korea conducts suspected ICBM test days ahead of US election

Tokyo and Seoul
CNN
 — 

North Korea conducted a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile test on Thursday morning, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry, which said it was believed to be the longest flight time yet for a North Korean missile.

The launch 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.

The missile could have been a “new-type solid-propelled long-range ballistic missile,” fired at “a lofted angle” and flying a distance of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

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., NHK said.

It is suspected to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to public broadcaster NHK, citing the country’s Defense Ministry.

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

The US National Security Council described the launch as an ICBM test, calling it “a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.”

If 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.

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.