Analysis: North Korea's Hwasong-19 ICBM Test

TaiwanPlus News

North Korea's Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test on Thursday showcased a complex and improving missile technology. The ICBM had a flight time of nearly 86 minutes, while traveling over a distance of 1,000 kilometers. The launch comes as the U.S. heads into its presidential elections. To learn more, TaiwanPlus spoke to Edward Howell, a lecturer at Oxford University.

Transcript

00:00What's the significance of this particular ICBM test by North Korea?

00:05This test is significant because it marks a clear advancement in North Korea's technology.

00:14The ICBM flew for 86 minutes, which is the longest flight time hitherto seen.

00:23And it's also useful since it gives a diversionary tactic away from the global attention on North

00:31Korean troops being sent to Russia.

00:34So we don't know whether Russia had supplied any technology for this particular missile.

00:43What does this latest test show about advancements in Pyongyang's missile delivery technology?

00:48The missile was a solid-fuel ICBM.

00:51They're harder to detect and easier to manoeuvre than their liquid-fuel counterparts.

00:57And because the missile flew for longer in the air, we can say with reasonable confidence

01:05that it shows that North Korea's missile capabilities are certainly improving over time.

01:11Could North Korea resume nuclear testing that has been stalled since 2017 ahead of the US

01:17elections?

01:18So what would be the impact?

01:21So seeing heightened North Korean provocations in the US election year really isn't that

01:27surprising.

01:29But secondly, what makes 2024 particularly concerning is that the UN Security Council

01:37is impotent given North Korea's relationship with Russia.

01:42And so if North Korea were to conduct the seventh nuclear test, it would be able to

01:46do so and largely escape without any form of punishment or consequence, not least from

01:53the UN Security Council.

Category

Transcript

Recommended