The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted a “crucial” test of its latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasongpho-19 on Thursday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday.
The missile flew a distance of 1,001.2 kilometers for 5,156 seconds before landing on a preset area in open waters off the country’s east coast, and the test-fire had no negative effect on the security of neighboring countries, the KCNA report said.
The test updated the recent record of the strategic missile capability of the DPRK and demonstrated the modernity and credibility of the country’s powerful strategic deterrent, and the latest strategic weapon system will function as “the primary core means” in defending the country, the KCNA said.
Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, guided the event, calling the test-fire “an appropriate military action” to show the country’s counteraction in response to the escalating security situation on the Korean Peninsula and part of “an indispensable process” in the course of constantly developing the DPRK’s strategic attack capabilities, the report said.
ICBM tests do fly in a very high arc though, the point is to test the range while making it clear that no one should be worried about it striking them.