Pyongyang, March 25: North Korea claimed that the test of its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) carried out on Thursday was successful, BBC reported on Friday. This is the first time that the country had tested a banned ICBM since 2017. ICBMs are long-range missiles, with the capability to reach even the US. North Korea is banned from testing them and has been heavily sanctioned for doing so before. State media said leader Kim Jong-un directly guided the test and the weapon was key to deterring nuclear war or attack on North Korea.
The Hwasong-17 ICBM was first unveiled in 2020 at a military parade where its colossal size surprised even seasoned analysts of the country’s arsenal. It is the largest missile in North Korea’s inventory and may be capable enough to carry multiple warheads. The missile during its test is said to have flown to an altitude of 6,000 km (3,728 miles) and fell in Japanese waters after flying for more than an hour. Its altitude surpassed that of a previous missile – the Hwasong-15 – which reached an altitude of 4,500km (2,800 miles) in a series of tests carried out by North Korea in 2017.
UNI
