Pyongyang conducts its largest ballistic test since 2017

North Korea returned to major ballistic tests, and yesterday it conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test, which was considered its most prominent since 2017, in a move that drew widespread international condemnation.

The North Korean launch practically turns the page on a promise made by leader Kim Jong Un to stop testing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons, which was accompanied by diplomatic steps, including a meeting with former US President Donald Trump in 2018. However, the talks later collapsed and diplomatic efforts faltered, despite the attempt of the administration of President Jo Biden, who succeeded Trump in early 2021, to offer Pyongyang to engage in new rounds of consultations.

Hours after the South Korean military announced that Pyongyang had launched an “unidentified projectile towards the east”, the country’s President Moon Jae-in confirmed that the projectile was an ICBM. He said that this constitutes a “violation of the suspension of intercontinental ballistic missile launches that leader Kim Jong Un promised the international community.” He considered that the missile launch “constitutes a serious threat to the Korean peninsula, the region and the international community”, and is also a “flagrant violation” of UN Security Council resolutions.

Washington warned that these tests were a “dangerous escalation” and would not pass without sanctions. In turn, the United Nations condemned the missile test as “useless” and considered it “fuelling tensions” in Asia.
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