KN-20 / Hwasong 15 ICBM - South Korean Reactions
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) initially said it believed that North Korea fired a Hwasong-14 class long-range ballistic missile early Wednesday morning. The JCS said the missile was launched from the vicinity of Pyongsong, South Pyongan Province, at around 3:17 a.m. The Air Force's E-737 surveillance system, dubbed Peace Eye, was the first to detect the missile within a minute of its launch, followed by Aegis destroyers and radars in the East Sea.
The projectile traveled toward the East Sea for about 960 kilometers at a peak altitude of about 4,475 / 4,500 kilometers. The Pentagon confirmed the launch saying an initial assessment indicates that the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile. The JCS said allies are "maintaining the ability and posture to strike the origin of provocation and command and support facilities with precision anytime, on the ground, at sea and in the air." The North Korean missile launch broke a 75-day hiatus in its provocations.
Based on its trajectory and distance, the missile would have a range of more than 13,000 km (8,100 miles) - more than enough to reach Washington D.C. and the rest of the United States, the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists said. However, it was unclear how heavy a payload the missile was carrying, and it was uncertain if it could carry a large nuclear warhead that far, the nonprofit science advocacy group added.
The ROK National Intelligence Service (NIS) said the missile that North Korea launched was assessed to be the most advanced among the three intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM)-grade missiles it had launched so far. Ruling Democratic Party lawmaker, Kim Byung-kee, said that NIS Director Suh Hoon made the assessment during a full session of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee.
Calling the North’s latest missile launch a strategically foreseen provocation, the spy agency said given that the maximum altitude and speed were greater than the existing Hwasong-14 class long-range ballistic missile, the missile was likely to be an improved ICBM-class missile.
On the possible purpose of the missile launch, the NIS said it believed the North was trying to show that it is capable of striking the U.S. and discontent with China’s sanctions against Pyongyang. The agency added that the launch was also aimed at promoting solidarity within the regime. The agency said that tensions in the region are expected to mount with the North becoming further isolated diplomatically and engaging in continued provocations.
The South Korean military was doubtful about North Korea’s claim that it has become a "complete" nuclear state with its latest missile launch. Military officials said that such a declaration can only be made if two key technologies needed to fly a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile have been secured --- atmospheric reentry technology and technology to miniaturize nuclear warheads. It remains uncertain whether the North has indeed advanced those skills. One military expert suspected the North only sought a propaganda effect with the declaration.
South Korea immediately responded to the North Korean missile launch, staging a live-fire missile drill in a show of force. While displaying its military response capabilities, the South Korean president also instructed his officials to prevent an uncontrollable situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Two minutes after the North Korean missile launch at 3:17 Wednesday morning, President Moon Jae-in was briefed about the provocation by his top security adviser. Six minutes after the launch, the South Korean military staged a live-fire missile exercise, in an apparent display of its response capabilities to strike the North Korean origin of provocations. At 6 a.m., the South Korean president held a meeting with the National Security Council at the Blue House bunker.
President Moon cautioned against an uncontrollable situation on the Korean Peninsula: "Despite our sincere efforts and appeals, North Korea fired a ballistic missile today. This not only heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula but also seriously threatens the peace and security of the international community. We strongly denounce North Korea for making such reckless provocations.... As I have consistently said, North Korea should immediately stop making reckless choices that lead itself to isolation and destruction, but should rather come to the table of dialogue. The South Korean government will never overlook North Korea's provocations."
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