North Korea says it has tested new intercontinental ballistic missile

North Korea said it launched a new solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday, according to state media KCNA.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un directed the “first test launch of the new ICBM”, and the launch had “no negative impact” on the security of neighboring countries, according to KCNA. The missile would also have made a stage separation.

Solid-fuel ICBMs are the next-generation world standard and can be moved more easily and launched faster than a liquid-fueled rocket.

The United States’ primary intercontinental ballistic missile, the Minuteman III, is powered by three solid-fuel rocket engines.

The Hwasong-18 “will defend North Korea, suppress invasions and protect the nation’s security,” KCNA said, adding that Kim expressed “great satisfaction” with the test run.

Jeffrey Lewis, an analyst at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, wrote on Twitter that “it’s no surprise” a solid-fuel ICBM tested by North Korea, explaining that “it’s just easier to use solid-fuel missiles”.

“North Korea always followed the same technical path as the US, Soviet Union, France, China, Israel and India,” he added.

“Given that North Korea has been testing large-bore solid rocket engines for several years now, it’s clear (at least to me) that since 2020 such a test could occur at any time,” he said.

Thursday’s launch sparked momentary panic on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido after the government’s emergency system warned residents to take cover.

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

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