SEOUL – North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile at around noon on Monday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken begins visit to South Korea.
The missile flew more than 1,100 kilometres east before falling into the sea, the South Korean military said.
Speaking a few hours later, Blinken told a news conference that the launch underscored the importance of collaboration between the U.S., South Korea and Japan, including sharing real-time missile data and holding trilateral military exercises.
“Today’s launch is just a reminder to all of us of how important our collaborative work is,” he said.
Blinken warned that Pyongyang’s deepening ties with Moscow will allow Russia to share space and satellite technology with North Korea in exchange for its support for the Ukraine war.
Monday’s launch was Pyongyang’s first since Nov. 5 when it fired at least seven short-range ballistic missiles.
It was not immediately clear what type of missile was fired but North Korea’s IRBM tests last year featured a new solid-fuel design and carried what Pyongyang said was a hypersonic glide vehicle, a warhead designed to be able to manoeuvre and evade missile defences.
The North has said it is working to make its missiles of all ranges solid fuel. Solid-fuel missiles do not need to be fuelled immediately ahead of launch, are often easier and safer to operate, and require less logistical support, making them harder to detect and more survivable than liquid-fuel weapons.
