Above: Iran recently launched a new military satellite into orbit. Iran and North Korea have previously shared much of their research in missile technology.
Julian Borger and Justin McCurry in Tokyo – The Guardian March 10, 2022
The US believes North Korea is testing a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in what the Biden administration called a “serious escalation” that would trigger more sanctions.
Pyongyang conducted two recent missile launches which it said were ultimately intended for putting satellites into space. After scrutinising them, however, US intelligence has assessed that the real intention was to test parts of the new ICBM.
“Based on analysis of these launches, the United States government has concluded that these launches involved a new ICBM system that the DPRK is developing,” John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said.
“This is a serious escalation by the DPRK.”
The US believes the ICBM being tested was first displayed by the Pyongyang regime in the Workers’ party parade on 10 October 2020, and then again at a defence exhibition a year later.
“The purpose of these tests, which did not demonstrate ICBM range, was likely to evaluate this new system before conducting a test at full range in the future, potentially disguised as a space launch,” Kirby said.
The US made its assessment in conjunction with Japan and South Korea, a senior US official added, and would share the conclusions with other allies and partners, including the United Nations.
Japan’s defence ministry condemned the tests. “North Korea’s recent actions, including these missile launches that make the situation more tense, threaten the peace and security of our country, region and the international community and are totally unacceptable,” it said in a statement.
Japan is particularly concerned about the North’s recent return to missile testing. Two intermediate-range missiles flew over its territory in the space of a fortnight in 2017, triggering alerts warning people to take cover.
US forces have stepped up their monitoring and intelligence collection in the region, and new sanctions are to be introduced on Friday aimed at further restricting North Korea’s access to advanced technology that it could use in its weapons programmes.
“There will be a range of further actions in the coming days,” the US official said.
The White House says that Joe Biden is open to diplomacy and would be prepared to meet the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, “when there is a serious agreement on the table”.
The Biden administration believes any such agreement would need to be preceded by working-level negotiations, as the experience of Donald Trump’s meetings with Kim suggested that “summits alone are no guarantee of progress,” the senior official said, adding: “The DPRK continues to not respond.
“While the door remains open to diplomacy, the United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and our allies,” the official said.
North Korean state media on Friday reported that Kim had ordered officials to expand a satellite launch facility to fire a variety of rockets that could carry multi-purpose satellites.
“He stressed that it is the noble duty of our party and space scientists and technicians … to turn the launching ground, associated with our state’s great dream and ambition for a space power, into an ultramodern advanced base,” the KCNA news agency quoted Kim as saying during a visit to the site.
Pyongyang insists its satellite launches are part of its peaceful space programme, but the UN believes they are used to try out new missile technology.
North Korea conducted three ICBM tests in 2017, and has carried out a total of six nuclear tests, before suspending both types of testing before the summits with Trump.
In January, Pyongyang said it would reconsider “restarting all temporarily suspended activities”, and analysts have seen signs of construction at North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site for the first time since its closure and dismantlement in the spring of 2018.
Some experts believe North Korea could launch a spy satellite or a test an ICBM in April to coincide with the 110th anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder, and Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung.
Yep, UKraine is proving to be a point which other powers wish to coalesce.
Given a big escalation, North Korea would love to nuke Seoul, Tokoy, and others.
Once a nuke trigger has been pulled, others will trigger as well.
The alliance proves that Communism and Islam do not really mean anything to anybody, like when titler’s Germany sided with Japan, proving that Race meant nothing to the Nazis, nor to the Japanese.
The shoe is on the other foot. Time for the U.S. to fall apart. It has done too much EVIL in the world and always hiding behind the bogey man
Mystic and Yogi
yes this is good news . keeps all
shadow contrahents busy .
Iran and North Korea will never be safe until they have missiles that will reach London and north America.
CONGRATS on your new ICBM Kim!
Might be a lot to ask, but could you possibly attach a booster to put it within range of ZOGUK?
muck obliged. tia
> like when titler’s Germany sided with Japan, proving that Race meant nothing to the Nazis, nor to the Japanese
So should they have just remained apart and got annihilated all the quicker? Perhaps you prefer the ‘multicultural’ cesspool that is the uk?
@ abcde…
Indeed.. it’s annoying when people misinterpret homogeneity and ethnic self interest .. as hatred of other peoples.. this is the ‘jewish’ trick (they themselves actually on the whole believe in their superiority and hate humanity quite viscerally).
All races ( and yes they exist, some may even be sub-species) should work together if at all possible, but considering that is highly improbable if not impossible… one will have to ally with other peoples to protect your own Ethnos, think Lord of the Rings, because that is of course how a Good world would function to combat Evil and sort out the ((errant))..
(nowadays in this inverted asylum one sacrifices ones homeland and people for the contents of the third worlds prisons and this ensures conflict and with that profit and power for the elitists)..
furthermore communism and Islam have nothing to do with race… they are quite indiscriminate… in both who they proselytise and who they slaughter..which is often the same thing..
To acdbe and chesto–what really happens, like in sport, is that the Scum make sure there is no real Race War, by having two or more Races on each side. With Whites versus the rest, obviously everyone else is dead. The Scum only want Jewish winners at the end.
In the Twentieth Century Yid~man got Russia and China to be on the same side, which is unnatural, the way they like it. Whites vs. antman or monkey-man they don’t like.