N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea
Korea HeraldAPR 20 2023
North Korea confirmed on Thursday that it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which is in violation of UN sanctions. According to South Korea and Japan, the ICBM flew for 86 minutes before falling into the water.
That's believed to be the longest time an ICBM from North Korea has ever been in the air. According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Pyongyang fired the missile at a "lofted angle," meaning it rose almost vertically instead of horizontally.
According to Japan, which monitored the ICBM's trajectory, the missile traveled at an altitude of over 4K miles for approximately 620 miles before landing in the water just outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
This launch is unacceptable. To maintain peace and security across the Korean Peninsula and beyond, Pyongyang must stop its provocative and destabilizing acts. North Korea must also promptly resume disarmament talks instead of cooperating with Russia by providing weapons and soldiers.
The US and its regional allies are to blame for escalated tensions on the peninsula, and this test should wake them up to their approach to relations in this region. North Korea, Russia, and China have never been closer, and the US must rethink its policies if it wants to ensure its security moving forward.