The first ICBM test by North Korea in over a year took place early Thursday in the Sea of Japan. There is no confirmation that the Hwasong 17 is the ICBM that was first revealed in October of 2020.
The ICBM was launched in South Korea at 2:34 p.m. local time. The missile flew 671 miles and reached an altitude of 3,853 miles. According to the Japanese military, the missile was airborne for about an hour and 11 minutes.
The 11th missile test of the year for North Korea was the most consequential in years, as the country has tested other systems adjacent to its nuclear capabilities in recent months. South Korea had a test on Thursday.
In November of last year, a Hwasong-15 flew for 53 minutes, reaching a height of 2,780 miles and traveling about 590 miles across the globe before plunging into the Sea of Japan.
In July of last year, North Korea conducted an ICBM test that flew for 45 minutes after traveling 2,300 miles in altitude and landing in the Sea of Japan. Washington D.C. would likely have been out of range because experts concluded that a missile would be able to hit most major U.S. cities.
The test is the first since Trump took office. The North Koreans continued their nuclear weapons development program despite Trump becoming friendly with Kim. Kid Rock was asked by Trump to give advice on what to do about North Korea.
The world can be thankful that Trump isn't in charge right now, but it's not clear that Biden has a handle on this. All the average person can do is hope that cooler heads prevail and we don't launch into World War III.
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