North Korea says it conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test, days before the US elections.

() – North Korea claims that it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday morning, a launch that is believed to have achieved the longest flight time so far for a North Korean projectile of these characteristics.

The test was carried out just days before next Tuesday’s US presidential election, and comes after warnings from South Korea’s intelligence agency that Pyongyang planned to launch an ICBM to test its re-entry technology around the election date.

The test also comes as North Korea appears to have stepped up its nuclear production efforts and strengthened ties with Russia, deepening widespread concern in the West about the direction of the isolated nation.

The missile was fired at a “high angle,” meaning it flew almost vertically upward instead of outward, and traveled a distance of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). .

Japanese authorities reported that the missile flew for about 86 minutes and reached a possible altitude of 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles), before falling into the sea west of Okushiri Island in northern Hokkaido around 8:37 a.m. outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to public broadcaster NHK.

“The flight time was the longest in history. Possibly the newest missile of all,” said Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Lee Sung-joon said it could have been a “new type of solid fuel-powered long-range ballistic missile” fired from a 12-axis mobile launcher (TEL) that Pyongyang revealed last month.

Solid-fuel missiles, such as North Korea’s Hwasong-18, would allow Pyongyang to launch long-range nuclear strikes more quickly than missiles using liquid-fuel technology.

According to experts, solid-fuel ICBMs are more stable and can move more easily to avoid detection before a launch that can begin in a matter of minutes, compared to liquid-fuel missiles, which can take hours before launch. launch, giving adversaries time to detect and neutralize the weapon.

North Korea said the launch “demonstrated the modernity and credibility of the world’s most powerful strategic deterrent,” according to the country’s state media.

State media also reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was at the launch site and called the test “an appropriate military action.”

If the missile is confirmed to be an ICBM, it would be the first release of its kind of North Korea since its test of the Hwasong-18 missile in December 2023. It also launched the weapon in April and July of last year.

During the December test, Japanese authorities reported that the missile flew on a very high trajectory for about 73 minutes and at an altitude of 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles).

The missile launched Thursday flew higher than North Korea’s previous ICBM test, according to first analyzes by the South Korean Armed Forces.

Although the missile had the range to reach any point in the United States, it would have to be fired on a flatter trajectory to hit the country.

The White House condemned the test Thursday as “a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the launch “unnecessarily raises tensions” in the region and that the United States “will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the US national territory and the Republic of Korea and its Japanese allies.

In response to the missile test, South Korea and the US conducted a large-scale joint aerial drill involving some 110 jets that simulated “a precise attack against the enemy’s TEL,” according to the Ministry of Defense. from Seoul.

“Our armed forces will always maintain the readiness and capability to respond forcefully to any North Korean provocation,” the ministry stated.

At the launch site, Kim stated that his country “will never change its line of strengthening its nuclear forces,” the KCNA network reported Thursday.

In addition to an intercontinental ballistic missile test, South Korea’s military intelligence agency also warned that North Korea could soon conduct its seventh nuclear test.

On Wednesday, the agency said Pyongyang had completed preparations for such a test at its Punggye-ri test center, and that the test could occur around the time of the US elections, according to two legislators briefed during an ordinary parliamentary meeting.

Since conducting its first nuclear test more than a decade ago, North Korea has advanced its weapons capabilities, with ambitions to miniaturize a warhead so it can fit on a long-range missile.

The launch comes after U.S. and South Korean officials said thousands of North Korean troops are training in Russia, with the expectation that they are preparing for possible deployment to the front lines of the gMoscow’s war against Ukraine.

The Pentagon estimated Monday that about 10,000 North Korean troops are receiving military training in eastern Russia. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that some troops have moved closer to Ukraine, have been given Russian military uniforms and are using Russian equipment.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun said North Korea is “very likely to ask” Moscow for advanced nuclear weapons-related technology in exchange for deploying troops to help Russia.

Pyongyang will likely request Russian technology transfers related to tactical nuclear weapons, the advancement of North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles, reconnaissance satellites and nuclear submarines, the minister said.

‘s Brad Lendon and Natasha Bertrand contributed reporting.