Kim Jong-un Observes Missile Launches Early in the Year... Strategic Weapons Expected to Undergo Series of Tests

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Inho Yoo and Jieun Lee] North Korea announced on the 12th that it successfully conducted a hypersonic missile test launch on the 11th under the supervision of Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party. Kim's presence at the test demonstrates confidence in defense technology, and experts analyze that this is likely to lead to further strategic weapon test launches in the future. The international community, including the United States, has unanimously condemned the action.

The Workers' Party's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported the news on the same day, claiming that the missile hit a designated target within a 1000 km range. Considering that a missile launched on the 5th was reported to have hit a 700 km target, this suggests an improvement in performance.

Kim's visit to military sites rather than civilian ones from the beginning of the year shows confidence in missile technology. Since the hypersonic missile test was deemed a "great success," it is highly likely that tests of the other four major strategic weapons, including the ultra-large nuclear warhead, will follow. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said, "This indicates that they plan to continue testing the four core tasks going forward."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, North Korea is expected to emphasize strengthening its defense capabilities in the first half of this year, marking the 110th anniversary of Kim Il-sung's birth and the 80th anniversary of Kim Jong-il's birth. Without mentioning South Korea or the United States, Kim urged to "continue achieving excellent results in the historic campaign to significantly strengthen war deterrence."

The Biden administration is taking North Korea's successive ballistic missile launches very seriously. This is evidenced by the fact that on the 10th, shortly after North Korea's missile launch, the U.S. temporarily suspended some flight operations for about 15 minutes, mainly along the U.S. West Coast, around 2:30 p.m. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not explicitly state that the suspension was due to North Korea's missile launch, but it is believed that the U.S.'s initial assessment led to this measure.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki condemned North Korea's missile launch during a briefing on the 11th (local time), stating, "North Korea's missile launch is a violation of multiple UN Security Council sanctions and a threat to neighboring countries and the international community." UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres also expressed that he is "very concerned," aligning with the U.S. position.