Seoul: North Korea fired what appeared to be a new type of solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) toward the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on Thursday, South Korea's military said, according to Yonhap News Agency. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported the detection of the missile, which was launched on a lofted trajectory at approximately 7:10 a.m. (22:10 Wednesday GMT) from the Pyongyang area. The missile traveled about 1,000 km before landing in the East Sea. According to Kuwait News Agency, the JCS spokesperson Lee Sung-jun noted during a press briefing in Seoul that the early assessment indicated the possibility of North Korea test-firing a new type of solid-fuel long-range ballistic missile. Such missiles, when fired at a standard angle, have the capability to reach the US mainland. Addressing the timing of the launch, Lee suggested that North Korea might have conducted the missile test to gain leverage ahead of the US election. This development occurs amidst heightened scrutiny and criticis m regarding North Korea's recent troop deployment to Russia. The missile launch followed just hours after defense leaders from South Korea and the US jointly condemned North Korea's troop deployment to Russia. During their annual defense talks at the Pentagon on Wednesday, both countries expressed their disapproval in the strongest terms possible. The deployment has raised concerns about its potential impact on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This latest missile test marks the first such launch in 10 months since North Korea fired a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM on December 18.
