"U.S. Commitment to South Korea-U.S. Alliance Is Ironclad... Readiness Remains Paramount"
The United States Forces Korea (USFK) stated on the 23rd regarding North Korea's ballistic missile launch, "The United States condemns these illegal and destabilizing actions and urges North Korea to halt further provocations that violate United Nations Security Council resolutions."
On this day, the USFK released a statement saying, "We are aware of North Korea's multiple ballistic missile launches and its relentless pursuit of long-range missile capabilities." Previously, the Joint Chiefs of Staff had announced that North Korea fired several projectiles presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles at around 8:10 a.m. the previous day, just one week before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju.
The USFK added, "We are consulting closely with South Korea and remain focused on maintaining the readiness posture necessary to defend the homeland. The U.S. commitment to the South Korea-U.S. alliance is ironclad. There is nothing more important than maintaining our readiness."
Meanwhile, the Korean Central News Agency reported the previous day that the Missile General Bureau had successfully conducted a test of an important weapons system. The agency stated, "Two hypersonic vehicles launched northeastward from Ryokpo District in Pyongyang struck their targets at Gyesangbongdeungpan in Orang County, North Hamgyong Province."
Although the agency did not disclose the name or specific specifications of the new weapons system, the use of the term "hypersonic vehicle" has led to speculation that it could be the Hwasong-11ma, a hypersonic short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) of the KN-23 series.
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