US believes North Korea tested 2 intercontinental ballistic missile systems

The United States believes that North Korea has launched two tests of a new intercontinental ballistic missile system (ICBM) on February 26 and March 4, which a senior Biden administration official described on Thursday as a "serious escalation." According to Pyongyang, the two missile launches were said to be aimed at launching satellites into space. However, after further examination, US intelligence concluded that the true objective was to test components of the latest ICBM, The Guardian reported.

In a statement, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby stated, “Based on analysis of these launches, the United States Government has concluded that these launches involved a new Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system that the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) is developing, which was originally unveiled during the Korean Workers Party parade on October 10, 2020,” as per a release from US Department of Defense.  

'This is a serious escalation by the DPRK': Senior US official

Furthermore, the senior US administration official told the media, “This is a serious escalation by the DPRK,” Mirror reported. The US believes that the Pyongyang government first showcased the ICBM being launched at a Workers' Party parade on October 10, 2020, and then again one year later at a defence exhibition. 

In addition to this, Kirby noted that the objective of these launches, which did not indicate ICBM range, was most likely to study this new system before executing a full-range test at a later date, "potentially disguised as a space launch,” as per the release. 

According to the senior US official, the US has conducted its review in collaboration with Japan and South Korea and will share its findings with other allies and partners, which includes the United Nations. 

Japan criticised recent launches

The launches were criticised by Japan's defence minister. The ministry said in a statement, “North Korea’s recent actions, including these missile launches that make the situation more tense, threaten the peace and security of our country, region and the international community.” It further added that his action is completely unacceptable.  

North Korea is prohibited from launching intercontinental missiles under a number of UN Security Council resolutions, according to media reports. The launch in 2017 was one of a set of tests that caused then-President Donald Trump to warn North Korean officials with "fire and fury".  

Meanwhile, North Korea had conducted three intercontinental missile tests in 2017 and six nuclear weapons tests in total before pausing both forms of testing ahead of Trump's meetings. Pyongyang further declared in January that it would consider resuming "all temporarily suspended activities," and observers have spotted traces of building at North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site. 

(Image: AP)