SEOUL -- North Korea's launch on Thursday of what is dubbed the Hwasong-17, its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile to date, signals the end of an inter-Korean detente and threatens to usher in a new period of icy ties between Pyongyang and Washington.
The test brought an immediate response from south of the border. Just hours after the launch, South Korea fired multiple missile systems in a series of exercises. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the exercises demonstrated the military's "capability and preparedness to conduct a precision strike against a missile's launch point, command and support facilities anytime should North Korea fire a missile."
