North Korea issues new threats; US sends bombers after ICBM launch.

On Sunday, North Korea announced that its latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test was intended to strengthen its “deadly” nuclear attack capabilities and threatened further powerful measures in response to upcoming military drills between the United States and South Korea. In response, the United States flew long-range supersonic bombers in a display of force later in the day for joint exercises with South Korean and Japanese warplanes.

North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said the launch of the Hwasong-15 ICBM was ordered directly by leader Kim Jong Un without prior notice. The agency said the launch was intended to verify the reliability and combat readiness of the country’s nuclear force and that the missile reached a maximum altitude of around 5,770 kilometers (3,585 miles), flying a distance of about 990 kilometers (615 miles) for 67 minutes before accurately hitting a pre-set area in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. It is believed that the launch was at a steep angle to avoid neighboring countries, and the flight details reported by North Korea match the launch information previously assessed by its neighbors, suggesting the weapon is theoretically capable of reaching the mainland United States if fired at a standard trajectory.

KCNA said the Hwasong-15 launch demonstrated the North’s “powerful physical nuclear deterrent” and its efforts to “turn its capacity of fatal nuclear counterattack on the hostile forces” into an extremely strong one that cannot be countered. Whether North Korea has a functioning nuclear-tipped ICBM is still a source of debate, as some experts say the North hasn’t mastered a way to protect warheads from the severe conditions of atmospheric reentry. The North says it has acquired such a technology.

Later on Sunday, U.S. B-1B bombers and other aircraft separately trained with South Korean and Japanese fighter jets over and near the Korean Peninsula. North Korea is sensitive to the deployment of U.S. B-1B bombers, which are capable of carrying a huge payload of conventional weapons.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of Kim Jong Un, accused South Korea and the United States of “openly showing their dangerous greed and attempt to gain the military upper hand and predominant position in the Korean Peninsula.” She stated that North Korea will watch every movement of the enemy and take corresponding and very powerful and overwhelming counteraction against its every move hostile to them.

The South Korean and U.S. militaries plan to hold a table-top exercise this week to hone a joint response to a potential use of nuclear weapons by North Korea. The allies are also to conduct another joint computer simulated exercise and field training in March. South Korea and Japan, meeting on the sidelines of a security conference in Germany on Saturday, agreed to boost trilateral cooperation involving the United States and exchanged in-depth views on the issue of Japan’s colonial-era mobilization of forced Korean laborers.

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and South Korea and Japan. South Korea’s presidential National Security Council said it will seek to strengthen its “overwhelming response capacity” against potential North Korean aggression based on the military alliance with the United States.

On Sunday, North Korea announced that its recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test was meant to enhance its “lethal” nuclear attack capacity. In response, the United States flew long-range supersonic bombers in a show of force for joint exercises with South Korean and Japanese warplanes. According to North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, the launch of the Hwasong-15 ICBM was ordered directly by leader Kim Jong Un. The agency said the missile reached a maximum altitude of around 5,770 kilometers (3,585 miles) and flew a distance of about 990 kilometers (615 miles) for 67 minutes before accurately hitting a pre-set area in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. It is believed that the launch was at a steep angle to avoid neighboring countries, and the flight details reported by North Korea match the launch information previously assessed by its neighbors, suggesting the weapon is theoretically capable of reaching the mainland United States if fired at a standard trajectory.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of Kim Jong Un, accused South Korea and the United States of “openly showing their dangerous greed and attempt to gain the military upper hand and predominant position in the Korean Peninsula.” She warned that North Korea will monitor every movement of the enemy and take corresponding and very powerful and overwhelming counteraction against its every move hostile to them.

The South Korean and U.S. militaries are planning to hold a table-top exercise this week to hone a joint response to a potential use of nuclear weapons by North Korea. The allies are also to conduct another joint computer simulated exercise and field training in March. South Korea and Japan, meeting on the sidelines of a security conference in Germany on Saturday, agreed to boost trilateral cooperation involving the United States and exchanged in-depth views on the issue of Japan’s colonial-era mobilization of forced Korean laborers. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and South Korea and Japan, while South Korea’s presidential National Security Council said it will seek to strengthen its “overwhelming response capacity” against potential North Korean aggression based on the military alliance with the United States.