After launching near Pyongyang, a suspected North Korean missile 'explodes in mid-air.'

 

SEOUL, South Korea, March 16 (Reuters) - According to South Korea's military, North Korea launched a suspected missile that seemed to burst shortly after takeoff in the sky over Pyongyang on Wednesday, amid concerns that the nuclear-armed North was attempting to test-fire its largest missile yet.

North Korea may be ready to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at full range for the first time since 2017, according to the United States and South Korea, in violation of UNSC resolutions.

The projectile was launched from Sunan International Airport, just outside Pyongyang, according to a statement from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

"It is suspected that it failed shortly after launch," according to the statement. According to a JCS officer, the missile seemed to detonate in mid-air while still in its booster phase, at a height of less than 20 kilometers (12 miles).

When asked about the claimed failure, a US State Department official indicated it was a "ballistic missile launch" that was condemned as a breach of UN Security Council resolutions, but declined to comment.

According to unidentified witnesses and a photograph of the test showing a red-tinted ball of smoke at the end of a zig-zagging plume that traced the rocket's launch trajectory in the sky over Pyongyang, debris fell in or near Pyongyang following the failed test.

The botched launch highlighted the dangers of North Korea's decision to test big missiles at an airfield so close to densely populated civilian regions, specialists warned.

In 2017, a North Korean intermediate-range ballistic missile launched from a different location in the country failed to take off and landed into an industrial or agricultural complex in Tokchon.

Several recent launches have taken place at the Sunan airport, including on February 27 and March 5. North Korea stated the tests were for building components for a spy satellite, but Seoul and Washington argued they were testing of a new intercontinental ballistic missile system.

A NEW SERIES OF MISSILE TESTS

Reclusive North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests this year, with its ninth test on March 5 prompting criticism from the US, South Korea, and Japan.

Military exercises in the Yellow Sea were led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, while air defence artillery at Osan air base in South Korea escalated training in reaction to heightened North Korean missile activity, according to US forces in Asia.

During Suh's visit to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, the largest U.S. overseas military facility, he and USFK Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera emphasized the importance of maintaining a robust defense posture.

According to a statement made by USFK, "our combined military forces provide a credible military deterrence to any opponent or threat who opposes us."

The Hwasong-17, North Korea's newest and largest ICBM system, was first shown at a military parade in 2020 and then again in October 2021 at a defense exhibition.

The missile's full range was not demonstrated in the launches on February 27 and March 5, and observers speculated that the North may have utilized only one stage of the missile or reduced its fuel content to fly at lower altitudes.

North Korea has not launched an ICBM or nuclear weapon since 2017, but has indicated that it may do so again now that denuclearization discussions with the US have stalled.

According to US and South Korean officials, the government appears to be repairing several tunnels at its abandoned nuclear test site.