Regarding North Korea's recent two ballistic missile tests, South Korea and the United States evaluated it as part of a performance test ahead of the 'maximum range launch' of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
South Korea and the US believe that it is highly likely that North Korea will launch this ICBM at the maximum range disguised as a space launch vehicle.
This is the imminent abandonment of the moratorium on the suspension of nuclear and ICBM test launches announced by North Korea in April 2018, and there is concern that tensions on the Korean Peninsula will further escalate.
In particular, North Korea revealed today (11th) that Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, inspected the Seohae Satellite Launching Site, which can launch long-range rockets that can be used as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
The South Korean Ministry of National Defense said that it is the result of a detailed analysis of the ballistic missiles launched by North Korea on the 27th and 5th of this month by South Korea and the United States.
North Korea refutes the claim that the two recent launches are an 'important test for the development of reconnaissance satellites'.
The Ministry of National Defense explained, "The recent two test launches did not reach the range of the ICBM, but it is believed that North Korea intended to test the related performance ahead of the maximum-range test launch of the missile disguised as a space launch vehicle in the future." I did.
At the same time, the U.S. Department of Defense also disclosed the contents of the ROK-U.S. joint evaluation in a statement issued in the name of Spokesperson John Kirby at the same time.
Following the announcement by the US and South Korea, the Japanese Ministry of Defense also analyzed the results in connection with the US, and as a result of the analysis, North Korea recently announced that two ballistic missiles were 'ICBM-class', Kyodo News reported.
At last year's party convention, North Korea announced the development of solid-state ICBMs as a major task in the defense sector, and the last North Korean ICBMs in 2017 are all liquid fuel-based.
Since solid-engine ICBMs are mounted on a mobile launch vehicle (TEL) and fired, it takes less time to prepare for launch than conventional liquid fuel, making detection and tracking difficult.
"The South Korean government strongly condemns North Korea's test-firing of ballistic missiles in violation of a number of UN Security Council resolutions," the Ministry of National Defense said. emphasized.
North Korea continues to raise the level of provocations.
North Korean state media reported that Kim Jong-un visited the Seohae satellite launch site and ordered the redevelopment and expansion of the launch site area and rocket assembly and interlocking test facilities so that large carrier rockets could be launched.
Since the long-range rocket for putting a reconnaissance satellite into low-Earth orbit is similar in technology to an ICBM, Chairman Kim's visits to the National Space Development Agency and the Seohae Satellite Launch Center are all interpreted as the procedure for launching an ICBM.
(Photo = Chosun Central News, Yonhap News)