N.Korean “Monster” Missile Travels ~1,000 km at Mach 22

An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fired by North Korea toward the East Sea on Friday reportedly flew about 1,000 km at a top speed of Mach 22.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported citing a Defense Ministry source that the missile launched by the North is believed to be a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). On Nov. 3, the North test-fired the same ICBM, but the launch was seen as a failure.

The Hwasong-17 is dubbed a "monster" for its sheer size. It is known to carry multiple warheads and have a range of around 15,000 km, long enough to cover the entire U.S. mainland.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at 10:15 a.m. on November 18.

"This launch is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region," the JCS said in a statement. "The United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and Republic of Korea and Japanese allies."

It emphasizes that the South Korean military will maintain a state of readiness to respond to any North Korean provocation in close cooperation with the United States.

The day before, North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Song-hee warned her country will take "fiercer" military actions if the U.S. strengthens its security commitment to using a full range of military capabilities, including nuclear options, to defend the allies.

Pyongyang’s reaction followed a trilateral summit among President Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Joe Biden and Fumio Kishida, respectively, on the margins of annual regional gatherings in Phnom Penh on Sunday.