North Korea Confirms Test-Firing of Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile - Reports

© Photo : Twitter / @nktpndThe alleged photo of the January 17 North Korean SRBM test shared on social media.
The alleged photo of the January 17 North Korean SRBM test shared on social media. - Sputnik International, 1920, 30.01.2022
Subscribe
MOSCOW, January 31 (Sputnik) - North Korea has confirmed that it launched the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday, making it the longest-range missile tested by Pyongyang since 2017, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reports.
"The test-fire was aimed to selectively evaluate the missile being produced and deployed and to verify the overall accuracy of the weapon system," Yonhap quoted the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as saying on Monday.
According to the South Korean military, the missile was fired from North Korea’s Jagang Province toward the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on Sunday and flew about 800 km (497 miles) with the maximum altitude reaching 2,000 km (1,243 miles). On Sunday, the same estimates were given by Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, who said that the missile fell outside of Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone after around 30 minutes of flight.
"It [the test launch] confirmed the accuracy, security and effectiveness of the operation of the Hwasong 12-type weapon system under production," Yonhap quoted KCNA as saying on Monday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not attend the Sunday test-firing, Yonhap specified.
The launch of the Hwasong-12 missile, which has a range of 4,500 kilometers (2,796 miles), is North Korea’s longest-range missile test since the test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in November 2017.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said following North Korea’s Sunday launch that the United States is ready to sit down at the negotiating table with Pyongyang, but will still continue to build up its military potential in the region to protect itself and its allies.
The US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said shortly after the Sunday test-firing that it posed no immediate threat to the US and its allies.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала