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☆ North Korea's Kim oversees ICBM test, vows more nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SEOUL, Nov 19 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to counter U.S. nuclear threats with nuclear weapons as he inspected a test of the country's new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), state media KCNA said on Saturday. "Kim Jong Un solemnly declared that if the enemies continue to pose threats ... our party and government will resolutely react to nukes with nuclear weapons and to total confrontation with all-out confrontation," the official KCNA news agency said. He ordered swifter development of strategic weapons, and more intensive training for the ICBM and tactical nuclear weapons units to ensure they flawlessly perform their duty "in any situation and at any moment," KCNA said. China and Russia had backed tighter sanctions following Pyongyang's last nuclear test in 2017, but in May both vetoed a U.S.-led push for more U.N. penalties over its renewed missile launches. ICBMs are North Korea's longest-range weapon, and Friday's launch is its eighth ICBM test this year, based on a tally from the U.S. State Department.

☆ Factbox: North Korea's new Hwasong-17 'monster missile'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, Nov 19 (Reuters) - North Korea said it test fired its massive new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), in what analysts said may be the first successful launch of the system after doubts were raised about earlier claims. The Hwasong-17 is nuclear-armed North Korea's biggest missile yet, and is the largest road-mobile, liquid-fuelled ICBM in the world. Its diameter is estimated to be between 2.4 and 2.5 metres, and its total mass, when fully fuelled, is likely somewhere between 80,000 and 110,000 kg, according to 38 North, a U.S.-based programme that monitors North Korea. Unlike North Korea's earlier ICBMs, the Hwasong-17 is launched directly from a transporter, erector, launcher (TEL) vehicle with 11 axles, photos by state media showed. Officials in Seoul and Washington said launches on Feb. 27 and March 5 involved the Hwasong-17 ICBM system, though they did not test its full capability or range.

[1/4] A passerby looks at a television screen showing a news report about North Korea firing a ballistic missile in Tokyo, Japan November 18, 2022. South Korea's military projected that the missile reached an altitude of 6,100 km and flew 1,000 km at a maximum speed of Mach 22. Friday's launch is the eighth ICBM test this year by North Korea, based on a tally from the U.S. State Department. Concern has also mounted over the possibility of North Korea conducting a nuclear test for the first time since 2017. North Korea on March 24 launched its biggest ICBM ever, which flew 67.5 minutes and reached an altitude of 6,248.5 km (3,905 miles), according to state media.

SEOUL/TOKYO, Nov 18 (Reuters) - North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday that landed just 200 kilometres (130 miles) off Japan and had sufficient range to reach the mainland of the United States, Japanese officials told reporters. Friday's launch would be the eighth ICBM test this year by North Korea, based on a tally from the U.S. State Department. A South Korean official said the Nov. 3 test may have failed at high altitude. South Korean and U.S. officials have reported that a number of North Korean ICBM tests appeared to have failed this year. The North has also fired hundreds of artillery shells into the sea recently as South Korea and the United States staged exercises, some of which involved Japan.

By pointing to 2027 as the moment when East Asia's power balance may tip in China's favour, Japan's government can rally support for greater defence spending, he added. At a congressional hearing last year, U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Admiral Philip Davidson said that China's threat against Taiwan could "manifest" that year. Japanese defence ministry officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In July, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida won national upper house elections with a pledge to "substantially" increase defence spending. The splurge of defence spending should also benefit U.S. suppliers such as Lockheed, Boeing Co (BA.N) and Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N).

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