North Korea recently launched an intercontinental ballistic missile. Japan’s Defense Minister said that the ICBM has enough range to hit the US mainland. This is a grave international safety concern. But for now, the missile ended up in the sea. The point of contact of the ICBM in the sea was 210 km west of Hokkaido.
Both South Korea and the US sternly condemned this move by North Korea. South Korea also ordered strict measures to counter its northern counterpart. In response, North Korean FM Choe Sun Hui said that they might take stronger action. Their reason was the growing military presence of the US in the region.
The presidents of the US, South Korea, and Japan met in Cambodia to discuss this situation. All of them agreed to increase their cooperation on every military level. The States will also consult with its partners about the situation. Joe Biden had got a briefing about this as well.
North Korea has taken an aggressive stance now. It fired almost 50 short-range missiles in the past two months. Long-range missiles are quite rare in North Korea. But they are the real threat to the US mainland. Any long-range missile can carry and drop a nuclear bomb. That is the underlying threat that the US mainland faces.
The ICBM took off from a place near Pyongyang. The missile had a lofted trajectory. The maximum height for the missile was 6100 km. The missile traveled for a range of 1000 km. The speed of the missile was Mach 22. A lofted trajectory means that the missile has a higher altitude but a lower range. But this missile was still capable of hitting the US mainland.
North Korea’s primary tactic is to instigate. They want other nations to get angry and react. But escalations should not happen at any cost. It is also developing Hwasong-17, a dangerous missile. This means that North Korea is also working on nuclear weapons. This can prove dangerous for the world.
Credits: BBC
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