North Korea test-fires second missile of 2022: JCS. Seoul says projectile was likely ballistic, and test follows DPRK’s launch of ‘hypersonic’ missile last Wednesday
North Korea fired what appears to be a single ballistic missile toward its east coast on Tuesday morning, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, evaluating later in the day that the missile appears to be more “advanced” than the one launched last week.
Image: Rodong Sinmun, March 3, 2020 | A medium range ballistic missile test by North Korea in early 2020
The DPRK launched the likely ballistic missile at 7:27 a.m. KST from Jagang province, from which the country launched its last two “hypersonic” missiles, according to the JCS. The projectile traveled more than 435 miles (700 km) at a maximum speed of around Mach 10, reaching an apogee of 37.3 miles (60 km).
“[We] evaluate that the projectile was more advanced than the ballistic missile launched on Jan. 5,” JCS stated, referring to the “hypersonic” missile the DPRK claims it tested last Wednesday.
“North Korea’s recent series of ballistic missile tests are a clear violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions… [We] strongly urge [North Korea] to immediately stop the tests, which do not help to ease military tension,” the military added.
The JCS said U.S. and ROK intelligence officials are analyzing further details and that the military is closely monitoring the situation. The Japanese coast guard also assessed the missile was likely ballistic.
Last week’s “hypersonic” missile reportedly traveled 435 miles (700 km), including a 120-km lateral maneuver, to hit its target, according to North Korean state media. South Korea’s military reportedly told multipledomesticmedia outlets that the missile reached a maximum speed of around Mach 6 with an apogee under 31 miles (50km) and that it did not fly the full distance that North Korea claimed.
Yang Uk, a North Korean nuclear and missile expert at Asan Institute, told NK News that how long the missile flew at Mach 10 is an important factor to determine whether or not the missile was hypersonic.
“[North Korea’s] existing ballistic missiles can travel at speeds between Mach 5 or Mach 10 at instantaneous acceleration … It’s hard to say that Wednesday’s missile is hypersonic if it flew at that speed for just two or three seconds,” Uk said. “It is hypersonic if it traveled for 10 or 20 seconds at that speed.”
Kim Dong-yup, associate professor of military and security studies at the University of North Korean Studies, assessed that the test further dims hopes for a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations.
“Hypersonic or not, the missile launch seems to be aimed at sending a clear message that North Korea will continue on its own path without expecting progress in inter-Korean relations,” he said.
Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute, said the missile launch likely seeks to send a message to the country’s domestic audience, rather than to South Korea.
“There are important political anniversaries this year,” he said, referring to Kim Jong Il’s 80th birthday in February, Kim Il Sung’s 110th birthday in April and the 10th anniversary of Kim Jong Un becoming first secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.
“So North Korea needs to show tangible results [to its people] in the defense sector to create a festive atmosphere from the beginning of the year.”
North Korea’s missile test last week drew condemnation from the international community, including members of the U.N. Security Council.
“Each missile launch serves not only to advance the DPRK’s own capabilities, but to expand the suite of weapons available for export to its illicit arms clients and dealers around the world,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a joint statement Monday on behalf of the U.S. and five other countries, following a meeting on North Korea’s reported hypersonic missile test last week.
“We call on the DPRK to refrain from further destabilizing actions, abandon its prohibited WMD and ballistic missile programs and engage in meaningful dialogue towards our shared goal of complete denuclearization, consistent with the Security Council resolutions.”
South Korea’s presidential National Security Council (NSC) held an emergency meeting later on Tuesday morning and expressed “strong regret” over the launch, urging North Korea to respond to the international community’s calls for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
In the afternoon, South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed concerns about North Korea’s missile tests in close succession ahead of the presidential election in March and ordered the government to ensure that “inter-Korean relations are no longer tense,” according to a Presidential Blue House spokesperson.
At the year-end party plenum in Dec. 2021, North Korea committed to building up its military in response to the “destabilizing” situation on the Korean Peninsula.
A spokesperson for the U.S. defense department called last week’s launch a “violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions” during a press briefing on Monday and warned of North Korea’s “advancing” nuclear ambitions and ballistic missile program.
Shortly after last week’s test-launch, the U.S. and Japan announced a new joint research initiative to develop capabilities to counter hypersonic threats.
Jeongmin Kim contributed to this report. Edited by Arius Derr.