North Korea conducts longest-ever ICBM test

The projectile remained airborne for 87 minutes, reaching an altitude of 7,000km, Japanese and South Korean officials have said

North Korea has test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a warning to its regional adversaries, according to the state-run KCNA news agency.

In a statement on Thursday, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry in Pyongyang described the test as “crucial,” adding that it was ordered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The missile launch “updated the recent records of the strategic missile capability of the DPRK and demonstrated the modernity and creditability of its world’s most powerful strategic deterrent,” the spokesman added. North Korean officials did not specify the type of ICBM or provide any technical details.

Kim stated that the test “is an appropriate military action that fully meets the purpose of informing the rivals, who have intentionally escalated the regional situation and posed a threat to the security of our Republic recently.” The North Korean leader accused Pyongyang’s regional adversaries of “dangerous tightening of their nuclear alliance and various adventuristic military maneuvers,” adding that these actions “further highlight the importance of strengthening our nuclear forces.” 

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South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) confirmed the launch, saying that the ICBM had traveled on a “lofted trajectory” – meaning that it flew at a high angle to maximize altitude rather than horizontal distance – towards the East Sea.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said the missile had splashed down about 300km west of Okushiri Island, adding that it was “the longest time flying of any missile so far” launched by the North. Officials in South Korea and Japan estimated the flight time at 87 minutes, with the missile reaching an altitude of up to 7,000km while traveling 1,000km horizontally.

The US Indo-Pacific Command condemned the test, calling on North Korea “to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts.” It added, however, that the launch posed no “immediate threat” to US personnel, territory, or its allies.

While North Korea regularly conducts missile tests amid tensions with South Korea and the US, an ICBM launch is a relatively rare event. The last such test took place in December 2023, when the projectile traveled around 1,000km during a 73-minute flight.

North Korea has repeatedly denounced joint military exercises by the US and South Korea, viewing them as preparation for a possible invasion. Earlier this month, Pyongyang also accused Seoul of dropping propaganda leaflets. North Korea later blew up a section of road and rail line near the border with its southern neighbor.