N. Korea Fires Possible ‘New Type’ Ballistic Missile

0:00

/0:00

1×

Facts

• South Korean news outlet YTN, citing a military official, reported that North Korea on Thursday possibly test-fired a 'new type' of medium-range or longer ballistic missile, which, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff, flew for about 1K km (621 miles) before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.¹
• Seoul says this launch may have been Pyongyang's first test of a more maneuverable and harder-to-detect solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), in contrast to liquid-propellant ICBMs previously tested by North Korea.²
• Japan promptly issued an evacuation order for the northern island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, revoking it within 30 minutes as the missile didn't land near the island. It wasn't confirmed whether the missile flew over the country's exclusive economic zone.³
• The US expressed its 'strong' condemnation of what it referred to as the test of a 'long-range ballistic missile,' accusing Pyongyang of violating UN Security Council resolutions and fomenting regional tensions.⁴
• This test fire comes two days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for bolstering the country's war deterrent in a 'more practical and offensive' way to deal with what he deemed aggressive moves by the US and South Korea.⁵
• Last week, state-run KCNA news agency reported that Pyongyang had carried out another test of a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone, the third since the North made public its 'secret weapons' that allegedly could provoke a 'radioactive tsunami.'⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Associated Press, ³BBC News, ⁴Dw.com, ⁵The japan times and ⁶Koreatimes.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Washington examiner. By launching its new weapon system, Pyongyang isn't only blatantly violating UN resolutions yet again but is also further increasing regional tensions through its increasingly aggressive stance. The North Korean regime must finally come to its senses and accept Washington's offer for serious negotiations. Otherwise, the US will be forced to take further steps to protect its own security and that of its allies.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Video ruptly. While pretending to seek stability in the region, the US is cornering North Korea with its ongoing military drills and deployment of strategic weapons systems around the peninsula. Both Pyongyang and Washington should exercise restraint and work on the conditions for serious dialogue. Instead of constantly stoking tensions, the US should take concrete steps to address North Korea's legitimate security concerns.

Predictions