N. Korea says it tested new solid-fuel long-range missile
Associated PressSEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Friday it flight-tested a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time, a possible breakthrough in its efforts to acquire a more powerful, harder-to-detect weapon targeting the continental United States. Kim added that the Hwasong-18 would rapidly advance North Korea’s nuclear response posture and further support an aggressive military strategy of maintaining “frontal confrontation” against its rivals. South Korea’s Defense Ministry in a statement described the Hwasong-18’s flight as a “mid-phase test” and said North Korea would need more time and effort to complete the system. “Because these missiles are fueled at the time of manufacture and are thus ready to use as needed, they will be much more rapidly useable in a crisis or conflict, depriving South Korea and the United States of valuable time that could be useful to preemptively hunt and destroy such missiles.” Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said advancing solid-fuel technology could also be useful for North Korean efforts to expand its tactical nuclear arsenal and pursue submarine-based deterrents. Soo Kim, an expert with Virginia-based consultancy LMI and a former CIA analyst, said each successive test by North Korea “seems to demonstrate greater options for the regime to provoke and threaten the region.” “With the Day of the Sun festivities coming up, and a U.S.-South Korean summit around the corner, the timing is also ripe for a North Korean provocation for to yet again remind us that his weapons are getting bigger, better, and all the more challenging for the U.S., South Korea, and the international community to deal with,” she said.