Japan and South Korea have reported that North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile near its east coast on Thursday (October 31).
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that the missile was fired from an area near Pyongyang at 7:10 local time, with the launch angle quickly rising. The Japanese government later confirmed that the missile landed in the sea at 8:37.
The South Korean military believes that this missile “may be a long-range ballistic missile launched at a high angle.”
Japan’s Ministry of Defense indicated that the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched at a high angle, falling about 200 kilometers west of Hokkaido’s Okushiri Island. The estimated flight distance is around 1,000 kilometers, with a predicted maximum altitude exceeding 7,000 kilometers.
Japanese officials stated that the United States, Japan, and South Korea are closely cooperating to analyze the details. However, this missile’s flight duration of approximately 86 minutes has set a new record for the longest flight time of a North Korean missile launch.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba mentioned that there have been no reports of damage from this launch.
Japanese Defense Minister Motoo Nakayama strongly condemned North Korea’s actions, stating that they not only threaten Japan but also the international community. Japan has lodged a formal protest against North Korea and will continue to work closely with the United States, South Korea, and other countries to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property by intensifying intelligence collection, analysis, and surveillance efforts.
On Wednesday, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that North Korea had deployed a mobile missile launcher in preparation to potentially launch an ICBM before or after the upcoming US presidential election.
North Korea’s last test of an ICBM was in December last year, which was powered by solid fuel and launched from a mobile launcher. It was also launched at a high angle and, when calculated for a normal trajectory, could travel 15,000 kilometers (about 9,300 miles), putting the entire United States within reach.
As North Korea conducted the missile launch, US Defense Secretary Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Jin Yong-Hyun were holding a “security consultation meeting” in Washington. Both officials strongly condemned North Korea’s military support to Russia. South Korea suggested that North Korea’s missile launch may have been intended to express dissatisfaction while diverting the international community’s attention from Russia.
Austin stated that North Korea sending troops to fight alongside Russian forces could prolong the ongoing conflict in Ukraine for the past two and a half years and attract other countries to join the conflict.
South Korea’s intelligence agency reported that since August last year, North Korea has supplied over 13,000 containers of weapons to Russia, including missiles, artillery, and anti-tank rockets.