North Korea Tests Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

On Thursday, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The launch was the 12th missile launch the country has conducted so far this year.

The missile landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, about 100 miles off its coast. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the launch, calling it “reckless” and “unacceptable.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, “Initial flight data suggested the missile had soared higher and longer than North Korea’s last intercontinental ballistic missile test in November 2017—a launch that demonstrated that Kim Jong Un’s regime, for the first time, had the capability to strike the U.S. mainland.”

“The missile was launched at 2:34 p.m. local time from the Sunan area, located on the outskirts of Pyongyang, hitting an altitude of more than 3,700 miles and traveling more than 680 miles,” the outlet added.

The Biden administration condemned the missile launch in a statement from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

“The United States strongly condemns the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) for its test of a long-range ballistic missile… This launch is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region. This action demonstrates that the DPRK continues to prioritize its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people,” the statement said.

“We urge all countries to hold the DPRK accountable for such violations and call on the DPRK to come to the table for serious negotiations,” the statement added. “The door has not closed on diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilizing actions. The United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and Republic of Korea and Japanese allies.”

The United States has not held formal negotiations since former President Trump’s administration, when North Korea temporarily ceased missile launches.

“The U.S. and North Korea haven’t held formal negotiations in more than two years. The Biden administration, which strongly condemned the latest launch, faces greater challenges today to punish the Kim regime. In 2017, China and Russia agreed to additional United Nations Security Council sanctions following North Korean ICBM and nuclear tests. Support from Beijing or Moscow looks far less certain now,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “Before Thursday, North Korea hadn’t conducted a full-range ICBM launch or nuclear test in more than four years. Mr. Kim had issued a self-imposed moratorium on such major provocations as Pyongyang shifted to diplomacy. But two nuclear summits with then-President Donald Trump failed to deliver a denuclearization deal.”