On Thursday, October 31, North Korea carried out a test ” crucial “ of intercontinental ballistic missile, supervised by its leader Kim Jong-un, intended to reinforce its nuclear deterrent.
“The test firing is an appropriate military action that fully fulfills the objective of informing our rivals (…) of our desire to retaliate”said Kim Jong-un during the launch, the North Korean state agency KCNA reported.
The White House was quick to denounce this shot, concerned about the risks of destabilization in the region. “This launch constitutes a flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions”declared the spokesman for the National Security Council of the US executive, Sean Savett, in a press release. Under UN sanctions, Pyongyang is prohibited from conducting weapons tests using ballistic technology.
The shooting came just hours after the defense chiefs of the United States and South Korea called on Pyongyang to withdraw its troops from Russia, which have been deployed in preparation for possible action against Ukrainian forces.
The South Korean military was the first to announce that it had “Detected a ballistic missile launched from the Pyongyang area towards the East Sea around 7:10 a.m. [23 h 10, jeudi à Paris] »using the Korean name for the Sea of Japan.
High alert level in South Korea
This missile belonged to “the class of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM)” – which have a range of at least 5,500 kilometers and are generally designed to carry nuclear charges – the Japanese Minister of Defense, General Nakatani, assured the press, specifying that the flight distance is estimated at about 1,000 kilometers, for a maximum altitude observed at more than 7,000 kilometers.
“It was the longest flight ever recorded. [pour un missile nord-coréen]. “I think it could be different from a conventional missile.”he added.
The South Korean military had warned the day before that the North, equipped with nuclear weapons, was preparing to test an intercontinental ballistic missile, or even conduct a nuclear test, perhaps before the US presidential elections on November 5.
“Our military has raised its alert level and is closely sharing information about the North Korean ballistic missile with U.S. and Japanese authorities, maintaining a high level of readiness.”added the Seoul General Staff.
Seoul studies the possibility of sending weapons to Ukraine
Shooting in North Korea “appears to have been carried out to divert attention from international criticism of the deployment of its troops” in Russia, Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told Agence France-Presse.
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According to Washington and Seoul, some 10,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia, without their mission being clearly identified. “The fact that such a large number of soldiers moved west suggests that it is unlikely that they went simply to observe.”said an official from South Korea’s presidential office.
For South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, the North Korean deployment could “will lead to an escalation of threats to the security of the Korean Peninsula”.
It also raises fears of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, two and a half years after the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine launched by Vladimir Putin. South Korea, a major arms exporter, has said it is exploring the possibility of sending weapons directly to Ukraine in response, something it has until now opposed due to a long-standing national policy that prevented it from supplying weapons in conflicts. assets.
Seoul has long accused the North of sending weapons to help Moscow in the fight against kyiv. North Korea has recently strengthened its military ties with Moscow; President Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to Pyongyang in June and signed a mutual defense agreement with Kim Jong-un.
