[the300] Joint Chiefs of Staff Issue Warning Statement Against North Korea
Kim Jong-un, chairman of the North Korean State Affairs Commission, showcased military power by visiting a facility producing key military vehicles, including those for launching intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). On the 5th, North Korea’s Central TV reported that Chairman Kim conducted an on-the-spot guidance visit to the “important military vehicle production factory.”
The South Korean military vehemently condemned North Korea for launching an ICBM. On the 31st, Major General Ahn Chan-myung, director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, issued a “Joint Chiefs Warning Statement Against North Korea” from the Ministry of Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Major General Ahn stated, “North Korea’s long-range ballistic missile launch is a provocative act that clearly violates the UN Security Council resolutions, which prohibit the use of ballistic missile technology and scientific and technical cooperation.” He added, “Our military condemns the Kim Jong-un regime’s illegal and reckless provocations.”
He further urged, “We strongly call for an immediate cessation of actions that undermine peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the international community, such as the continuous dissemination of filth and trash balloons, deployment of mercenaries to Russia, and preparation for nuclear tests. Despite our military’s repeated warnings, North Korea continues its illegal provocations, and we sternly warn once more that the responsibility for any subsequent incidents lies entirely with North Korea.”
The Joint Chiefs of Staff detected the launch of a long-range ballistic missile by the North Korean military from the vicinity of Pyongyang towards the East Sea at around 7:10 a.m. that morning. The missile was fired on a lofted trajectory, traveling approximately 1000 km before falling into the East Sea.
Choosing a normal angle launch (30-45 degrees) instead of a lofted one would allow North Korea to test the ICBM’s core capability of re-entering the atmosphere. However, this launch appeared not to include such testing due to the lofted trajectory. A launch at a normal angle could potentially bring the U.S. mainland within range.