SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (AP) - A North Korean missile launched in the capital failed on Wednesday and exploded in the air with speculation that Pyongyang could soon begin its most important provocation, its most important provocation.
At first, the details of the explosion were unknown, but this year's tenth launch shows that North Korea is determined to modernize its arsenal and put pressure on its competitors to make concessions, despite stable denuclearization negotiations.
North Korean missiles exploded at an altitude of about 20 km (12.4 miles), South Korean military officials said they demanded anonymity because they were unable to speak openly with the media on the matter. He said the cause of the explosion was unknown.
The Joint Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea stated in a statement that the launch occurred in the Pyongyang region at 9:30 a.m., before an obvious failure occurred. He said that US and South Korean intelligence officers were analyzing the details of the launch.
The US Indo-Pacific Command later stated that North Korea launched a ballistic missile, but did not disclose whether it failed to launch. The command statement urged North Korea to avoid further destabilizing gestures, although this launch did not pose an immediate threat to the US region and its allies.
Referring to the development of the Hwasong-17 missile announced by North Korea at a military parade in October 2020, the United States and South Korean troops noted that Pyongyang tested the ICBM system in the two most recent launches.
In the two most recent launches on February 27 and March 5, North Korean missiles have traveled medium distances, and experts stated that Pyongyang will finally conduct tests on long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles.
North Korea announced that it had tested cameras and other systems against spy satellites and claimed it was a photograph taken from space during the test, but did not confirm the type of rocket or missile launched.
According to experts, North Korea wants to strengthen its ICBM capabilities as it tries to put its first spy satellite into orbit.North Korean President Kim Jong-un vowed to improve ICBMs and spy satellites as part of a series of sophisticated weapons systems defined by US hostilities.
The Hwasong-17 is North Korea's largest missile capable of traveling up to 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles), and can strike anywhere in the United States.A 25-meter-long (82 ft) long projectile was recreated at a defense exhibition held in Pyongyang last year.
North Korea has already demonstrated its ability to influence the American continent through test launches of other ICBMs, Huasong-14 and Hwasong-15 in 2017. Some analysts say that the development of a large projectile means that the country is trying to equip its long-range weapons with multiple weapons to overcome missile defense systems.
In recent months, North Korea has conducted a series of missile tests, and experts say it is an attempt to modernize its arsenal and put pressure on the US government as negotiations on nuclear disarmament begin.