SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea confirmed on Friday that it had tested a new guided missile, as President Joe Biden warned of the consequences if Pyongyang raised tensions amid stalled nuclear talks.
The official North Korean news agency said the two “nine-type tactical guided projectiles” accurately hit the target on the east coast on Thursday. Photographs on the website of the main American newspaper Rodong Sinmun showed a missile coming out of a transport erector launcher amid bright flames.
KCNA quoted top official Ri Pyong Chol, who oversaw the test, as saying the development of the new weapon “is of great importance in strengthening the country’s military power and deterring all sorts of existing military threats on the Korean peninsula.” “.
Japanese officials said the two weapons tested on Thursday were ballistic missiles, which are banned by UN Security Council resolutions. According to South Korean officials, North Korea fired two missiles on Sunday, but they were probably cruise missiles, which are not banned.
The shootings were the first major provocation by the North since Biden took office in January. Some experts say North Korea intended to put pressure on the Biden administration to increase its leverage in future talks.
“We are consulting with our allies and partners,” Biden said at a news conference Thursday. “And there will be answers if they decide to climb. We will respond accordingly. But I am also prepared for some form of diplomacy, but it must be conditioned on the end result of denuclearization.
The United States has called for a meeting of the UN Security Council committee to monitor sanctions against North Korea and it will be held in camera on Friday morning. The committee includes representatives from the 15 nations of the council.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who is pursuing better ties with North Korea, released a rare critique in Pyongyang on Friday for the releases.
“I know full well that our people have big concerns about North Korea’s missile launches yesterday,” Moon said during a military ceremony. “Now is the time for South and North Korea and the United States to make efforts to (resume) talks. An act that hinders the state of dialogue is not at all desirable. “
Talks between the U.S. and North Korea on curbing North’s nuclear ambitions have been in limbo for about two years due to disputes over U.S.-led sanctions in the North. In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would expand his arsenal of weapons and increase his country’s military capability to deal with what he called American hostility.
KCNA said the warhead weight of the new weapon has been improved to 2.5 tonnes (5,510 pounds). He said Thursday’s test also confirmed the reliability of the improved version of the weapon’s solid fuel engine, which would increase missile mobility, and its maneuverable flight at low altitude.
Observers in South Korea said the weapon is likely an improved North Korean version of the Russian-made Skander, a short-range nuclear-capable missile designed to fly at low altitudes and make guide adjustments during the flight. They said it is more likely to evade missile defense systems in South Korea.
Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Friday that the North Korean weapon is a new type of ballistic missile that was displayed during a military parade in Pyongyang in January. Kishi said Japan would strengthen its missile defense system to “ensure peace and security.”
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Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.