North Korea tests missile that could reach entire US, according to Japan and South Korea

by Miranda Nazzaro - 12/18/23 8:27 AM ET

A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. — Ahn Young-joon/Associated Press
A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea’s missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023.

North Korea on Monday tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach anywhere in the U.S., according to government officials in Japan and South Korea.

South Korean government officials said it was a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), likely referring to North Korea’s Hwasong-18, which has solid propellants that make it harder to detect than liquid-fueled weapons, The Associated Press reported.

The missile flew about 620 miles and landed in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and the missile was launched at an elevated angle, the news service added, citing South Korea’s military.

The missile has a range of more than 9,300 miles and can reach anywhere in Japan or the mainland U.S., Japan’s Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defense Shingo Miyake told reporters Monday, according to Reuters.

Monday’s launch follows North Korea’s testing of the Hwasong-18 in July and April. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un previously described the Hwasong-18 as the most powerful weapon of his nuclear forces.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan also spoke with South Korean and Japanese leaders and condemned Monday’s launch as a violation of several U.N. Security Council resolutions, the White House stated.

The launch came hours after North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile that landed in the water off the nation’s east coast. The two launches were likely in response to the U.S. and South Korea’s recent assertions that they will reinforce their joint defense against North Korea’s nuclear threats.

In a statement last Friday, the White House warned any “nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime.”

Last month, North Korea’s government claimed it launched a spy satellite that photographed the White House and the Pentagon. The White House said it “strongly condemn[ed]” the satellite launch as a violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions.