Kim Jong-un oversees launch of new ICBM dubbed ‘monster missile’ as crisis brews on Korean peninsula

The Hwasong-17 fell in waters off Japan but showed a capability to carry a payload that could reach Washington, New York or Chicago, said a rocket science expert

Analysts believe there will be more launches – including a missile that will fly over Japan – as US-China rivalry and the Ukraine war intensify

Reading Time:4 minutes

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claps during a test-fire of the Hwasong-17 on Thursday. Photo: KCNA/KNS via AP

Published: 11:43am, 25 Mar 2022Updated: 1:39pm, 25 Mar 2022

A fresh crisis is brewing on the Korean peninsula as North Korea on Friday confirmed it tested its newest and largest intercontinental ballistic missile, crossing what the South says was a “red line.”

Thursday’s launch of the Hwasong-17, under the guidance of leader Kim Jong-un, came at a time when the United States has its hands full with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Kim stressed that Pyongyang would keep itself “fully ready for long-standing confrontation with the US imperialists”, state news agency KCNA reported.

He toured the launch site and shouted “Fire!” before the rocket flew to an altitude of 6,200km and fell 1,090km away in waters off Japan, KCNA said.

North Korea’s latest launch was its first ICBM since 2017 and came amid a transition of power from the South’s liberal leader Moon Jae-in to the hawkish conservative president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol who will take office in May.

The projectile, launched at a steep angle from the Sunan airfield in Pyongyang, had a higher altitude than its previously tested long-range missiles.