North Korea confirmed that it tested a missile capable of hitting U.S. military bases in Guam and Japan.
The communist regime launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday capable of hitting U.S. bases on both islands, according to the Associated Press. The country has performed more than half a dozen missile tests in recent weeks, while the most recent one marks the most powerful missile test from the North Koreans since 2017.
The purpose of Sunday’s test, launched toward waters off its east coast at an angle that would prevent it from flying over other countries, was to determine the accuracy of the Hwasong-12 missile. The missile flew nearly 500 miles and reached a maximum altitude of 1,242 miles before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to South Korean and Japanese assessments.
NORTH KOREA CARRIES OUT LONGEST-RANGE MISSILE TEST SINCE 2017
The Hwasong-12 missile, which has nuclear capabilities, can travel a maximum of 2,800 miles when fired on a standard trajectory, meaning Guam and Japan are within its range.
“We’re obviously always looking at our force, our presence, force posture, our force protection there on the peninsula and in the region,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday. “And also constantly looking at our own readiness from a training event perspective. And all that is factored in what we see coming out of Pyongyang, all that factors into our decision-making.“
He also noted that the United States is “willing to sit down and have dialogue with the North Koreans without preconditions, that offer still stands.”
North Korea has continued to ramp up missile launches during January. Their first test of the year occurred on Jan. 5, followed by another on Jan. 11, and two more on Jan. 14. The missile launch on Sunday marked the seventh this month and the third within a week.
Two cruise missiles were launched from an inland area into the sea on Tuesday, followed by two more ballistic missiles on Thursday.
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The Biden administration announced it would impose sanctions on a Russian company accused of providing North Korea with ballistic missile technology on Jan. 12.
