North Korea says it has tested a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile

(CNN) North Korea said it fired A solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday (local time), the official Central News Agency reported on Friday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guided “the first test-fire of the new ICBM” and the launch had no “negative impact” on the safety of neighboring countries, according to the KCNA news agency. She added that the missile also separated the stage.

Solid-fuel ICBMs are the latest global standard, and they can be transported more easily and launched faster than liquid-fueled missiles. The main US Minuteman III missile is powered by three solid-propellant rocket engines.

The Hwasong-18 will “defend North Korea, suppress invasions and protect the nation’s safety,” KCNA said, adding that Kim expressed “great satisfaction” at the completion of the test launch.

said Jeffrey Lewis, an analyst at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies on Twitter That it was “no surprise” that a wasted solid-fuel ICBM was launched by North Korea, saying “it’s easier to use solid-fuel missiles.

He added, “North Korea would have always followed the same technical path as the United States, the Soviet Union, France, China, Israel and India.” “Given that North Korea has been testing large-diameter solid rocket engines… for several years, it was clear (to me at least) that since 2020 a test like this could have taken place at any time.”

Thursday’s firing by North Korea sparked temporary panic on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido after the government’s emergency alert system warned residents to take cover.

Soon after, fear turned to anger and confusion as the evacuation order was lifted amid reports that it was sent in error, with local officials saying there was no possibility of the missile hitting the island and Tokyo later confirming that it had landed outside Japanese territory. In the waters off the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula.

The South Korean military said at the time that it believed Pyongyang was testing a new ballistic missile that it displayed at a military parade, according to a military official.