WASHINGTON – The Biden administration says two North Korean missile launches in recent weeks were test firings of a powerful new long-range ICBM and warned on Thursday that a full-range test could be taking place soon.
The tests were of an ICBM reportedly larger missile from North Korea, launched in 2017, which was evaluated to be able to reach the United States.
US missile defense and reconnaissance forces in the Pacific have been placed in a state of “increased readiness” in preparation for the full-range test, a senior administration official said on Thursday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, outlined US intelligence assessments of the recent launch.
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North Korea has claimed that the launches on March 4 and February 26 were only to test cameras to be mounted on a future spy satellite.
The official said several UN Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from firing ICBMs, and the US will announce a new round of sanctions on Friday aimed at the country’s access to technology needed for its weapons programs. to make it more difficult.
The 2017 launch was part of a series of tests that prompted then-President Donald Trump to threaten North Korea’s leaders with “fire and fury” and brought the two countries to the brink of a more serious conflict.
The new missile was first revealed to the public in 2020 during celebrations commemorating the 75th birthday of the Communist Party of North Korea in Pyongyang. It appears to be an intercontinental ballistic missile that is larger than any known ICBM of the north. The US official who commented on Thursday did not estimate a maximum limit.
Last week’s launch was already North Korea’s ninth round of weapons tests this year as it uses pauses in diplomacy to expand its military capabilities while attempting to pressure the Biden administration for concessions.
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Since taking office last year, the Biden administration has approached North Korea several times in an effort to bring it back to the negotiating table after Trump’s three rounds of meetings with leader Kim Jong-un aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula. has reached. In North Korean currency.
The official said on Thursday that North Korea has still not responded to any US requests. Biden has expressed openness to a meeting with Kim if denuclearization will be on the table.
The US official said the US intelligence assessment was prepared and shared in consultation with allies in the region, including South Korea and Japan.
