North Korea releases images of Hwasong-19 missile launch
North Korean state media has released images of what it says was a test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) called Hwasong-19, which flew higher than any previous launch attempt.
The North Korean news agency KCNA said on Thursday that the launch showcased "the world's strongest strategic missile", which was also tracked by military officials in South Korea and Japan before it splashed into the Sea of Japan.
"The new-type ICBM proved before the world that the hegemonic position we have secured in the development and manufacture of nuclear delivery means of the same kind is absolutely irreversible," North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said during launch, according to KCNA.
Photos released by KCNA showed a large, multi-stage missile launched from a canister carried by a transporter-erector-launcher vehicle.
An image from the North Korean government showing a military vehicle stationed on the ground at the launch site of the new ICBM, dubbed Hwasong-19, on October 31, 2024. (AP: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service)
The news agency said the Hwasong-19 flew a distance of 1,001 kilometres over a period of 85 minutes and 56 seconds before landing in the sea off the east coast of the Korean peninsula and reached with a maximum altitude of 7,687.5km.
The launch came days before the November 5 US presidential election and drew condemnation from authorities in Washington, Seoul and from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Questions remain over North Korea's ability to launch missiles like the Hwasong-19 and protect nuclear warheads as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere.
North Korean state media released images appearing to show the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, and his daughter watching the missile launch. (AP: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service)
"The missile continues to underwrite the growing credibility of North Korea's strategic deterrent capabilities," Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said.
KCNA said the Hwasong-19 will deploy alongside the Hwasong-18, which was first launched by North Korea last year and was also powered by solid fuel.
Solid-fuel missiles do not need to be fuelled immediately ahead of launch, are often easier and safer to operate, and require less logistical support than liquid-fuel weapons, according to experts.
"It can be stored and moved anywhere, allowing for excellent mobility, stealth and survivability," Kim Dong-yup, an assistant professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said.
The missile launch drew condemnation from South Korean officials in Seoul, where the North Korean govenrment vision was broadcast on TV news broadcasts. (AP: Lee Jin-man)
South Korea imposed new sanctions on Friday on 11 North Korean individuals and four entities over the ICBM test, naming officials for contributing to missile and nuclear development and channelling illegal foreign funds back to the country.
A spokesperson for South Korea's unification ministry, which handles relations with North Korea, said the launch could have been for several purposes, including demonstrating military technology, pressuring the US and diverting attention from the issue of sending North Korean troops to Russia.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon was assessing the missile launch and said: "We don't see any indication at this point that there was Russian involvement."
In photographs released by North Korean state media, Kim Jong Un appeared to speak with military personnel on the ground at the missile launch site. (AP: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned his allies for having what he said was a "zero" response to Russia's involvement with North Korea, including the deployment of North Korean troops for the war in Ukraine.
Mr Zelenskiy said the deployment has sparked concerns that Moscow could provide sensitive military technology to Pyongyang in return for the North Korean assistance.
Russia and North Korea have not denied the troop deployments and have defended their right to help each other.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui arrived in Moscow on Friday to hold strategic consultations with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the ministry, published images of the pair at a Moscow train station in a post on her official Telegram channel and said: "Today, talks between the heads of Russia and the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) will be held in Moscow.
"The meeting began at the Yaroslavsky railway station (in Moscow), where a memorial plaque was unveiled to mark the occasion of Kim Il Sung's 1949 visit to the USSR."
During the discussions, Ms Hui accused the US and South Korea of plotting a nuclear strike against North Korea, but did not provide evidence to support the claim, and confirmed Pyongyang would keep "strengthening" its nuclear arsenal.
"I once again assure you that our country will in no way change course on the strengthening of its nuclear forces," Ms Hui said.
The foreign minister also told Mr Lavrov that North Korea needed to strengthen its nuclear arsenal and perfect its readiness to deliver a retaliatory nuclear strike if necessary.
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