Kim Jong Un directed the launch of an ICBM

(CNN) – North Korea’s official media, the Korean Central News Agency, reported that this Thursday a release Testing of the new Hwasong-17 ICBM.

On March 23, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a handwritten order to test-fire a new ICBM, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

According to the report, Kim Jong Un directly led the test launch process on the 24th. It is North Korea’s first ICBM since 2017.

Credit: Rodong Sinmun

“The Hwasong-17, an intercontinental ballistic missile launched from Pyongyang International Airport, has a maximum altitude of 6,248.5 km, flew 1,090 km for 4,052 seconds, and accurately landed in the intended waters” between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, the Korean Central News Agency reported. .

This Thursday’s release is the eleventh for North Korea, including one March 16 which supposedly failed. Analysts said the test could be the longest-range missile North Korea has launched to date, surpassing the last ICBM launch in November 2017.

El viceministro de Defensa de Japón, Makoto Oniki, dijo a los periodistas este jueves que la altitud del misil sugeriría que es un “nuevo tipo de ICBM”, una señal potencial de que Corea del Norte está más cerca cap de sarroll de armpun United State.

Credit: Rodong Sinmun

The United States joined allies South Korea and Japan in strongly condemning Thursday’s launch and called on North Korea to refrain from further destabilizing actions.

US President Joe Biden is currently in Belgium, where he is attending the G7 summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The meeting is part of a series of gatherings, including an extraordinary NATO summit, in which Western leaders seek to harmonize their responses to Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.

Yoonjung Seo, Gawon Bae, Emiko Jozuka, and Brad Lindon contributed to this report.