N. Korea confirms test-firing of Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile

TIL Desk/World/Seoul/ North Korea on Thursday confirmed that it test-fired a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the previous day, with its leader Kim Jong-un vowing to take “stronger” military offensive until the US abandons its hostile policy against Pyongyang.

Guided by Kim, the North launched a new type of the Hwasong-18 missile in a test aimed at reconfirming the technical creditability and operational reliability of the country’s core weapon system, according to Pyongyang’s official Korean News Agency.

It marked the North’s second solid-propellant ICBM launch following its first test-firing on April 13. A solid-fuel ICBM is one of the high-tech weapon systems that the recalcitrant regime has vowed to develop, along with a military spy satellite and a nuclear-powered submarine.

Solid-fuel missiles are known to be harder to detect ahead of launch than liquid-propellant ones, which require more prelaunch preparations, such as the injection of fuel. The North said the Hwasong-18 flew 1,001.2 km for 4,491 seconds at a maximum altitude of 6,648.4 km, before accurately landing on a pre-set area in the East Sea.