North Korea Tests More Powerful Missile

December 2024
By Kelsey Davenport

North Korea tested a new long-range missile and ratified a mutual defense treaty with Russia as Japan, South Korea, and the United States announced a new mechanism for monitoring Pyongyang’s sanctions evasion and coordinating regional actions.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described the new North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) as the “world’s strongest strategic missile” and said the Oct. 31 launch demonstrates the credibility of the country’s nuclear deterrent.

The missile, dubbed the Hwasong-19, is a solid-fueled system that is more powerful than the ICBMs North Korea tested in the past. North Korea already can target the entire continental United States with previously tested ICBMs, but the Hwasong-19 appears designed to carry multiple warheads with independently targetable reentry vehicles. The Hwasong-19, along with the previously tested Hwasong-18, will serve as the “core means” of defending North Korea by “containing the enemies’ acts of aggression and reliably protecting the national security,” according to KCNA.

North Korea launched the missile in violation of UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting its ballistic missile activities.

According to KCNA, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was present for the launch. Kim said that North Korea’s “rivals’ dangerous tightening of their nuclear alliance” highlights the “importance of strengthening our nuclear forces.”

Prior to the launch, KCNA reported that Kim visited an ICBM base to review the “operational readiness” of North Korea’s strategic missile forces. He called for modernizing missile facilities and reviewing launch procedures to ensure North Korea can “swiftly deliver strategic counterattacks against enemies at any moment.”

Although the UN Security Council met to discuss the launch of the Hwasong-19, the body failed to condemn North Korea, following a pattern of inaction in response to the country’s violations. (See ACT, July/August 2023.)

During the council meeting on Nov. 4, North Korean Ambassador Kim Song justified the test and said Pyongyang will accelerate its nuclear weapons buildup to “counter any threat presented by hostile nuclear-weapon states.” He said the test posed no threat to the region.

Japanese Ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki refuted that assessment, telling the council that the launch was “more threatening than ever” and that the missile splashed down in waters near Japan. He urged North Korea to refrain from further launches.

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood also condemned the missile launch during the meeting and described it as a “direct violation of multiple Security Council resolutions.” He said that North Korea’s continued missile testing allows the country to identify and address capability gaps to advance its weapons program. Wood accused Russia and China of repeatedly shielding North Korea from “any reprisal” by the council.

Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong told the council that it should focus on “easing rather than exacerbating tensions” in the region and that further pressure will lead to escalation. The key to resolving tensions lies with the United States, he said.

During the meeting, Wood also raised North Korea’s transfer of weaponry to Russia for use in Ukraine and the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. He called North Korea’s weapons exports an egregious violation of Security Council resolutions and said that if North Korean troops “engage in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine,” they will be “legitimate military targets.”

Russian Deputy Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva denied the presence of North Korean military in Russia. She accused the United States of creating a “negative buzz” about North Korea in order to keep “ineffective sanctions measures afloat.” Evstigneeva said North Korea “has every right to apply measures to ensure the security and sovereignty of their country.”

Several days after the Security Council meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the mutual defense treaty with North Korea that Moscow and Pyongyang announced during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June. (See ACT, July/August 2024.) Kim Jong Un ratified the treaty two days later, on Nov. 11.

The treaty includes a provision requiring Russia and North Korea to “immediately provide military” assistance if the other country is attacked. Even though Russia invaded Ukraine, it is unclear if Putin will invoke the treaty’s provisions to request additional North Korean assistance more formally.

Japan, South Korea, and the United States condemned the growing ties between North Korea and Russia in a Nov. 15 joint statement during a trilateral heads of state meeting. The three leaders announced the establishment of a new joint secretariat to coordinate actions and implement shared goals, including security on the Korean peninsula.

The statement committed the three countries to “respond resolutely to any violations or evasions” of UN Security Council resolutions and emphasized the importance of the new multilateral sanctions monitoring team.

Launched in October by 11 states, including Japan, South Korea, and the United States, the team is tasked with monitoring the implementation of Security Council resolutions on North Korea. According to an Oct. 16 press release announcing the new mechanism, the monitoring team will support implementation of council sanctions against North Korea by “publishing information based on rigorous inquiry into sanctions violations and evasion attempts.”

A UN panel of experts previously performed a similar task, but its mandate was vetoed by Russia in March. (See ACT, May 2024.)