North Korea stated on Monday that it has launched a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of targeting US territory. It was Pyongyang's seventh missile test this month, and the first time a nuclear-capable missile was shot since 2017.
"The inspection fire test was performed for the goal of selectively checking the ground-to-ground mid-range long-range ballistic missile Hwasong-12 and validating the overall accuracy of this weapon system," according to the North Korean state news agency.
North Korea has previously said that the Hwasong-12 may carry a nuclear bomb, according to North Korean state news agency a massive heavy nuclear warhead
The test "proved the precision, safety, and operational efficacy of the manufactured Hwasong-12 type weapon system." North Korean state news agency stated.
How was the missile test carried out?
According to North Korean state news agency, the missile launch was carried out in such a way as to protect the safety of neighboring nations, and the test warhead was outfitted with a camera that snapped images while in orbit. Photos provided by the official media showed space-based photos of North Korea and its surroundings captured using a spherical camera lens. According to observers, North Korea first shot similar images in 2017.
Leader Kim Jong-un was not reported to have attended the test, which was at least the seventh launch in January, making it one of the busiest months in North Korea's missile program's history.
Concerns have been raised throughout the world in response to North Korea's missile launch.
US and South Korean officials have warned that Pyongyang's launch might lead to the resumption of long-range missile and nuclear-weapons testing. The launch was originally reported on Sunday by South Korean and Japanese officials, who criticized it as a danger to regional security.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Sunday that the launch brings North Korea one step closer to lifting its self-imposed ban on testing its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles
What does North Korea have to say?
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stated that he is no longer bound by the moratorium, which included a moratorium on nuclear weapons testing and was declared in 2018 during a frenzy of diplomacy and summits with then-US President Donald Trump.
North Korea hinted this month that it would resume testing since the US and its allies had showed no signs of abandoning their "hostile policies."
The month of January saw the launch of a new hypersonic missile, followed by long-range cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles launched from railcars and airports, highlighting the nuclear-armed state's fast increasing and progressing arsenal despite delayed denuclearization negotiations.
More powerful missiles
A senior US official expressed worry on Sunday night that North Korea's accelerating missile tests might be predecessors to restarted nuclear, while asking Pyongyang to engage in direct discussions with no preconditions.
"They are seeking to take steps that we feel are fundamentally disruptive in order to increase pressure," the official said during a press conference in Washington. "I believe there is a component that is also to validate and perfect the systems that they've constructed."
It's unclear whether an intermediate-range ballistic missile like the Hwasong-12 were included in Kim's ban, but they haven't been tested since 2017. North Korea flew the Hwasong-12 at least six times that year, with three successful flights and three failures.
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