November 30, 2017

After the launch of a long-range missile believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the early morning of Nov. 29, North Korea claimed that its “state nuclear force is complete.” The international community, including South Korea, the US and Japan, declared that they would continue the policy of “maximum pressure” by further intensifying their economic and diplomatic sanctions against the North. While a short-term heightening of tensions on the Korean Peninsula is probably unavoidable, after a cooling-off period has passed, the countries involved are also expected to come under increasing pressure from domestic politics to shift to a negotiating phase.

A statement released by the North Korean government during the day on Nov. 29 claimed that the missile, which it called a Hwasong-15, was launched from the outskirts of Pyongyang at 2:48 am on Nov. 29 [3:18 am in South Korea] and flew for 53 minutes, traveling for 950 km and reaching a maximum altitude of 4,475 km. US Pentagon spokesperson Robert Manning said that initial assessments indicated that the missile was an ICBM.

North Korea’s launch of the long-range missile came 75 days after it launched the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) on Sept. 15. By ending what was called a “period of restraint” with the bold gambit of launching an ICBM capable of striking the entire US mainland, the North appeared to be making clear that it means to break out of its deadlock with the US.

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http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/821485.html