North Korea Conducts New Test Launch of Hwasong-18

31 October, 2024 Hwasong-18 missile launch, April 2023. Still image from KCNA video North Korea launched the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, setting a local record with 86 minutes of flight time.

This is reported by the BBC. It is also reported that the missile fell into the waters of the DPRK in the east of the peninsula. The recent successful missile launch has raised concerns in Washington and Seoul, especially in light of the strengthening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

The launch, which was recorded by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea, took place at approximately 7:10 a.m. local time from the Pyongyang area.

Infographic of flight altitude by test dates. Source: BBC.

The launch violates UN restrictions and comes amid deteriorating relations between North and South Korea and Pyongyang's increasingly aggressive statements toward Seoul. On the day of the test, North Korean media reported a statement by Kim Jong Un, who said that the launch demonstrated "the will to respond to our enemies."

"I reaffirm that (North Korea) will never change its line to build up its nuclear forces," Kim Jong-un said.

Hwasong-18 launcher. April 2023. Photo: North Korean media.

The day before, Seoul warned that the DPRK was preparing to launch an intercontinental missile before the U.S. presidential election on November 5, 2024.

The United States called the launch a "blatant violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions." "This only demonstrates that (North Korea) continues to prioritize its illicit weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people," U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett stated.

Neighboring Japan also confirmed it was monitoring the launch on Thursday. At a specially convened press conference, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated that when launched on a conventional trajectory, a North Korean missile similar to the one tested on Thursday can cover a distance of up to 15,000 kilometers. This means that, theoretically, this missile can reach almost any point in the United States: the distance from Pyongyang to Los Angeles in a straight line is 9,545 kilometers, to New York - 10,916 kilometers, to Washington - 11,035.

As early as 2022, the Japanese government voiced concern that North Korean ballistic missiles could potentially reach both Japan and the United States.

Hwasong-18

The Hwasong-18 is North Korea's latest three-stage solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. It is North Korea's first solid-propellant ICBM and was first unveiled at a parade on February 8, 2023, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army.

Hwasong-18 ballistic missile launcher. April 2023.

Photo credits: North Korean media

The first rocket launch took place on April 13, 2023, the second on July 23, 2023, and the third on December 18 of the same year.

The missile is mounted on a mobile launcher with a 9x9 wheel configuration.

The estimated weight of the missile is between 55 and 60 tons, its length is 25 meters and its diameter is 2 meters.