Kim Jong Un, or “Rocket Man” as former President Donald Trump nicknamed him, is at it again. On April 13, Kim launched a new Hwasong-18 missile, dubbed by North Korea as a defensive solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile.
Japanese residents in the city of Hokkaido were alerted to “duck and cover” and to evacuate in some cases for fear the missile would come dangerously close to them, but the danger was misreported. North Korea said no neighboring countries were in any danger.
The missile traveled about 620 miles east of North Korea before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean
North Korea entered the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1985. After frequent violations since Kim came to power, In 2003, North Korea withdrew from the agreement.
In 1992 North and South Korea signed a denuclearization agreement. The agreement prevented either side from manufacturing missiles, testing them, producing them, storing them, firing them, or using nuclear weapons in any way. North Korea abandoned the deal rendering it null and void on January 23, 2013.
The United States and North Korea renewed another agreement where the DPRK would work toward total denuclearization.
North Korea has been working toward an intermediate-range or intercontinental ballistic weapon powered by solid fuel propellants. Currently, PDRK missiles use liquid fuel. In the event of an attack, North Korean missiles would have to be loaded with fuel which would slow the process of launching them.
Solid fuel propellants would make it faster and easier for North Korea to retaliate during a war. This recent launch is North Korea’s first known use of solid fuel to power its weapons.
Military exercises conducted in the Korean area have escalated tensions between North and South Korea leading to Kim’s increased missile testing.
Military analysts say that the US infrared data collected by early warning satellites would be able to detect the difference between a liquid fuel or solid-state missile.
Kim has given aggression by America as a justification for increasing the testing of defensive weapons.
