North Korea boasts of its new long-range missile targeting the US

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea connected Friday bragged of its precocious tested new intercontinental ballistic missile, calling it “the world’s strongest,” a declare viewed by extracurricular experts arsenic propaganda though nan trial showed an advancement successful nan North’s quest to build a much reliable weapons arsenal.

A rocket launched by North Korea connected Thursday flew higher and stayed successful nan aerial for a longer long than immoderate different limb nan state had truthful acold fired. It signaled that nan North has achieved advancement successful acquiring a nuclear-armed ICBM that tin deed nan U.S. mainland. But overseas experts measure that nan state has still a fewer remaining technological issues to maestro earlier acquiring specified a functioning ICBM.

On Friday, nan North’s Korean Central News Agency identified nan rocket arsenic “Hwasong-19” ICBM and called it “the world’s strongest strategical missile” and “the perfected limb system.”

KCNA said leader Kim Jong Un observed nan launch, describing it arsenic “an due subject action” to definitive North Korea’s resoluteness to respond to its enemies’ moves that escalated tensions and threats to North Korea’s nationalist security. It said Kim thanked weapons scientists for demonstrating North Korea’s “matchless strategical atomic onslaught capability.”

South Korea’s subject earlier said that North Korea could person tested a solid-fueled rocket but Friday’s KCNA dispatch didn’t opportunity what propellant nan Hwasong-19 ICBM uses. Observers opportunity nan colour of exhaust flames seen successful North Korean media photos connected nan motorboat still propose nan caller ICBM uses coagulated fuels.

Before Thursday’s test, North Korea’s astir precocious ICBM was known arsenic nan “Hwasong-18” rocket which uses coagulated fuels. Pre-loaded coagulated propellants make it easier to move missiles and require overmuch little motorboat mentation times than liquid propellants that must beryllium fueled earlier liftoffs. So it’s much difficult for opponents to observe launches by solid-fuel missiles.

In caller years, North Korea has reported dependable advancement successful its efforts to get nuclear-tipped missiles. Many overseas experts judge North Korea apt has missiles that tin present atomic strikes connected each of South Korea, but it has yet to person atomic missiles that tin recreation to nan mainland U.S.

There are questions connected whether North Korea has acquired nan exertion to shield warheads from nan high-temperature, high-stress situation of atmospheric reentry. Many overseas analysts opportunity North Korea besides must person improved altitude power and guidance systems for missiles. They opportunity North Korea needs an expertise to spot aggregate warheads connected a azygous rocket to conclusion its rivals’ rocket defenses.

All of North Korea’s known ICBM tests, including Thursday’s, person been performed connected steep angles to debar neighboring countries. South Korean subject spokesperson Lee Sung Joon said Thursday that a high-angel trajectory motorboat cannot verify a missile’s re-entry conveyance technology, though North Korea has antecedently claimed to person acquired that technology.

Observers opportunity that Thursday’s launch, nan North’s first ICBM trial successful almost a year, was mostly meant to drawback American attraction days earlier nan U.S. statesmanlike predetermination and respond to world condemnation complete North Korea’s reported dispatch of troops to Russia to support its warfare against Ukraine.

North Korea’s reported unit dispatch highlights nan expanding subject practice betwixt North Korea and Russia. South Korea. nan U.S. and others interest North Korea mightiness activity high-tech, delicate Russian exertion to cleanable its atomic and rocket programs successful return for joining the Russian-Ukraine war.

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Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.