North Korea acknowledged Sunday that it
had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and said it did so as a warning to the United States and South Korea
.
He also maintained that this "surprise" move demonstrated his country's ability to carry out a "deadly nuclear counterattack."
In response, the United States and South Korea
they conducted
joint air exercises
with a strategic bomber and stealth fighters, according to Seoul.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
ordered the surprise "launching exercise" on Saturday morning.
A Hwasong-15 missile was fired from Pyongyang's airport in the afternoon, according to the state news agency KCNA.
North Korea first tested this weapon in 2017.
The South Korean army affirmed that it detected the launch of an ICBM on Saturday at 5:22 p.m. local time (05:22 in Argentina).
According to the Japanese government, he flew 66 minutes and
it would have the capacity to
reach any point in the continental United States.
North Korean officials hailed the weapons test, the first in seven weeks, highlighting "the warfare capability of ICBM units that are ready for a powerful and mobile counterattack," according to KCNA.
The launch is "clear proof" of the reliability of North Korea's
"powerful nuclear deterrent"
, KCNA added.
The shot was condemned by South Korea, the United States and Japan, which assured that the device fell in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as well as by the G7 and the European Union (EU).
The exercise came as South Korea and the United States prepare to hold an exercise next week in Washington to
learn what to do if Pyongyang uses nuclear weapons.
This drew the ire of North Korea, which on Friday threatened an "unprecedented" response to what it called
preparations for war.
According to American security expert Ankit Panda, Saturday's shooting is of considerable importance because "it was ordered on the same day, so it is
not a traditional 'test'
, but rather an exercise."
"There will be other exercises of this type," he added.
Two US B-1 strategic bombers carry out maneuvers over the Korean peninsula escorted by South Korean F-35 and US F-16 fighters, (EFE / Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of the Republic of Korea)
Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha University, said it is the first time Pyongyang has given a detailed account from firing order to launch.
This test "shows that
all
these weapons are
deployed for actual combat
and ready to be launched at any moment," he told AFP.
For Soo Kim, a former CIA analyst, the nine hours between the leader's order and the launch is "a long time."
According to her, Pyongyang could face "greater challenges" if it carried out a launch under "realistic" conditions.
Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, after the North declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power and Kim called for an "exponential" increase in weapons production, including tactical nuclear weapons. .
In response, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sought to step up security cooperation with the United States, with more joint military exercises.
North Korean spokeswoman and Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said on Sunday that the South's actions "exacerbate the situation more every moment,
destroying regional stability
," according to KCNA.
"I advise that
we will monitor all the movements of the enemy
and we will undertake the corresponding countermeasures, very powerful and overwhelming, against all these hostile movements against us," he added.
The shooting and Pyongyang's statements point to the "start of high-intensity provocations by North Korea," Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha University, told AFP.
According to Park, Pyongyang's attitude could indicate that the internal situation has worsened.
South Korean authorities recently warned that the country could face
severe food shortages following extensive lockdowns
due to the pandemic.
With information from AP
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