SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday for the first time in nearly a year, demonstrating potential progress in its ability to launch long-range nuclear attacks on the U.S. mainland .

The launch was probably intended to capture American attention days before the American elections and respond to condemnation of the North’s allegations dispatch of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. Some experts have speculated that Russia may have provided technological assistance to North Korea during the launch.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed the launch, calling it an “appropriate military action” to show North Korea’s determination to respond to moves by its enemies that have threatened the North’s security, according to state media. North Korean state.

Kim said the enemies’ “various adventurous military maneuvers” highlighted the importance of North Korea’s nuclear capability. He reaffirmed that North Korea will never abandon its policy of strengthening its nuclear forces.

North Korea has always maintained that developing its nuclear capabilities is its only option to cope with its territorial expansion. US-South Korean military training, even though Washington and Seoul have repeatedly stated that they have no intention of attacking North Korea. Experts say North Korea is using its rivals’ exercises as a pretext to expand its nuclear arsenal and extract concessions when diplomacy resumes.

The North Korean statement came hours after its neighbors said they had detected the first North Korean ICBM test since December 2023 and condemned it as a provocation undermining international peace.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea may have tested a new long-range solid-fuel ballistic missile at a steep angle, in an attempt to avoid neighboring countries. Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and hide and can be launched more quickly than weapons with liquid propellants.

Japanese Defense Minister General Nakatani told reporters that the missile’s flight time of 86 minutes and maximum altitude of more than 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) exceeded corresponding data from previous North missile tests. -Korean.

Flying a missile higher and for a longer duration than before means its engine thrust has improved. Given that North Korea’s previous ICBM tests have already proven they could theoretically reach the U.S. mainland, the latest launch was likely linked to an effort to determine whether a missile could carry a larger warhead, say the experts.

Jung Chang Wook, director of the Korea Defense Study Forum think tank in Seoul, said it was fair to say the missile involved in Thursday’s launch could carry South Korea’s largest and most destructive warhead. North. He added that the launch was likely also designed to test other technological aspects that North Korea must master to advance its ICBM program.

North Korea has made advances in its missile technologies in recent years, but many foreign experts believe the country has yet to acquire a working nuclear missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland. They say North Korea likely has short-range missiles capable of launching nuclear strikes on all of South Korea.

Some fear that North Korea may seek Russian help in perfecting its nuclear-capable missiles in exchange for allegedly sending nuclear missiles. thousands of soldiers to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday that North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment were on the way to Ukrainein what he calls a dangerous and destabilizing development.

Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea’s Institute of Science and Technology Policy, said initial results from Thursday’s launch suggested Russia could have supplied a key propellant component capable of increasing the engine’s thrust. ‘a missile. He explained that higher thrust allows a missile to carry a larger payload, fly with more stability and hit a target more accurately.

Jung said he believed Russian experts could have given technological advice on missile launches from the Russian president. Vladimir Putin visiting North Korea for a meeting with Kim in June.

Kwon Yong Soo, an honorary professor at South Korea’s National Defense University, said North Korea likely tested a multiple warhead system for an existing ICBM. “There is no reason for North Korea to develop another new ICBM when it already has several systems with ranges of up to 10,000 to 15,000 kilometers (6,200 to 9,300 miles) that could reach any place on Earth,” Kwon said.

North Korean confirmation of an ICBM test was unusually quick since North Korea typically describes its weapons tests a day after they were conducted.

“North Korea probably might have thought its rivals might look down on it after ceding so many military resources to Russia,” said Yang Uk, an expert at South Korea’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies. a demonstration to show what it is capable of, regardless of troop deployments or other movements.

US National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett called the launch a “blatant violation” of several UN Security Council resolutions that “unnecessarily increases tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation.” in the region.” Savett said the United States would take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and its allies South Korea and Japan.

South Korean military spokesman Lee Sung Joon said the North Korean missile may have been fired from a 12-axle launcher, the North’s largest mobile launch platform. The reveal of the new launcher in September led to speculation that North Korea might develop an ICBM larger than existing ones.

South Korean Military Intelligence Agency told lawmakers Wednesday that North Korea has also likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test. He said North Korea was close to testing an ICBM.

Over the past two years, Kim has used Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an opportunity to step up weapons tests and threats, while expanding military cooperation with Moscow. South Korea, the United States and others say North Korea has already shipped artillery, missiles and other convection weapons to replenish Russia’s dwindling weapons stockpiles.

North Korea’s possible participation in the war in Ukraine would mark a serious escalation. Besides Russian nuclear and ballistic technologies, experts believe that Kim Jong Un also hopes for Russia’s help in building a reliable space surveillance system and modernizing his country’s conventional weapons. They say Kim will likely receive hundreds of millions of dollars from Russia to pay his soldiers’ salaries if they remain stationed in Russia for a year.

___

Follow AP’s Asia-Pacific coverage at