On October 30th, members of the South Korean National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee revealed that military intelligence obtained by the country indicates that North Korea has deployed a launcher in position, preparing to launch an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), possibly during the US presidential election.
Assembly members of the Intelligence Committee received a briefing from the Defense Intelligence Headquarters of the South Korean intelligence department on the same day.
After hearing the briefing, lawmaker Lee Sung-gwon stated that a mobile launcher has been deployed at a location possibly for conducting an ICBM test, and it is expected to carry out a missile warhead re-entry test into the atmosphere during the US election on November 5th.
Lee said, “The transportation and installation of the launcher have been completed and deployed at a specific location, potentially for an ICBM launch to verify the re-entry technology of the warhead, possibly targeting the US presidential election, around the time of the election day in November.”
South Korea believes that the North Korean regime may try to showcase the development of its strategic weapons by launching long-range missiles or conducting a seventh nuclear test during the US election period.
Another member of the Intelligence Committee, lawmaker Park Sang-won, mentioned that although the missile may have been transported to the launch site, the Defense Intelligence Headquarters does not believe that the missile has been mounted on the launcher.
Earlier this month, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stated in an interview with the Associated Press that he anticipates North Korea will carry out provocative actions such as nuclear tests and ICBM test launches during the US election to increase pressure on Washington and its allies.
In recent months, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has showcased the country’s military nuclear plans by testing various missile systems and revealed a secret facility for producing weapons-grade uranium in September.
North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test in 2017.
Since 2017, all North Korean ICBM tests have been carried out at high angles to avoid missiles falling into neighboring countries’ territories. Experts suggest that North Korea might eventually seek to conduct flight tests at angles closer to normal ballistic trajectories to verify if the warheads can operate under the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry.
Lawmakers Lee Sung-gwon and Park Sang-won also disclosed that the Defense Intelligence Headquarters believes some advance units of North Korean forces dispatched to Russia have possibly arrived at the front lines and are preparing to move towards the Kursk region, where Russia has been striving to resist Ukraine’s assaults.
A senior official from the South Korean presidential office, who preferred not to be named, stated in a background briefing that Seoul and its allies estimate that at least 11,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia. The official noted that over 3,000 of them have moved to the western combat zones in Russia, without specifying the exact locations.
(This article was compiled with reference to reports from Reuters and the Associated Press)