New Delhi: North Korea on Monday (January 31) confirmed that it has test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the US territory of Guam. The missile test is the North's most significant weapon launch in years.


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The test launch was held on Sunday and the official Korean Central News Agency said that it was aimed at selectively evaluating the missile being produced and deployed and verifying its overall accuracy.


Here is a 5-point cheatsheet to this major development in North Korea:

  • The missile tested was a Hwasong-12 missile with a camera installed at the missile's warhead. The lens took an image of Earth from space, and the Academy of Defense Science confirmed the accuracy, security and effectiveness of the operation of the weapons system.
  • The missile was launched toward the waters off its east coast and at a high angle to prevent it from overflying other countries, as per North Korea.
  • The missile flew about 800 kilometres (497 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of 2,000 kilometres (1,242 miles) before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to South Korean and Japanese assessments.
  • The reported flight details make it the most powerful missile North Korea tested since 2017.
  • The Hwasong-12 missile is a nuclear-capable ground-to-ground weapon, whose maximum range is 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) when it's fired on a standard trajectory, a distance sufficient to reach the US territory of Guam.

Washington’s response


This comes after in August 2017, at the height of animosities with the then-Trump administration, North Korea's Strategic Forces threatened to make an enveloping fire near Gaum with Hwasong-12 missiles.


After Sunday's launch, White House officials said they saw the latest missile test as part of an escalating series of provocations over the last several months that have become increasingly concerning.


The Biden administration plans to respond to the latest missile test in the coming days with an unspecified move meant to demonstrate to the North that it is committed to allies' security in the region, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.


The Biden administration again called on North Korea to return to talks but made clear it doesn't see the sort of leader-to-leader summits Donald Trump held with Kim as constructive at this time.


Some experts, however, say the boosted testing activity shows how North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is determined to modernise his weapons arsenals despite pandemic-related economic 


(With agency inputs)


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