N Korea at crossroads

North Korea takes solid-fuel ICBM threat to unprecedented heights

Test shows ability to strike U.S. East Coast before preparation can be detected

20230713N north korea missile

This image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency depicts the Hwasong-18 ICBM being launched at an undisclosed location. © Korean Central News Agency

JUNNOSUKE KOBARA, Nikkei staff writer
July 14, 2023 01:19 JST

JAKARTA -- North Korea appears to have developed solid-fuel rocket technology that would make it more difficult for the U.S. and South Korea to strike its intercontinental ballistic missiles before they are launched.

A missile tested by Pyongyang on Wednesday climbed to a maximum altitude of 6,648.4 kilometers, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday. If true, that exceeds that of the liquid-fuel Hwasong-17 ICBM, which reached 6,045 km in a March launch.

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