North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
KCNA via Reuters
- North Korea has conducted a flurry of short- and medium-range missile tests in 2022 alone.
- The foreign ministry said Tuesday it has a missile that can reach the US and “shake the world.”
- UN experts said there had been “a marked acceleration” in missile testing.
North Korea said it had a missile that can reach the US mainland and “shake the world.”
Since the start of the year, Pyongyang has conducted a flurry of missile tests, including seven in January, a feat the foreign ministry on Tuesday said were “remarkable achievements.”
North Korea said it tested the Hwasong-12, one of its most advanced intermediate-range missiles made in 2017, on January 30 — its first test since its creation. The country also said it had a long-range missile named the Hwasong-15, which it said can reach the US mainland. The Hwasong-15 has not been tested since it was made in 2017.
In a Tuesday statement, the foreign ministry said the larger missile can strike the US with ease.
“In today’s world, where many countries waste time dealing with the US with submission and blind obedience, there’s only our country on this planet that can shake the world by firing a missile with the US mainland in its range,” it said, Reuters reported.
“There are more than 200 countries in the world, but only a few have hydrogen bombs, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and hypersonic missiles.”
A composite image shared by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on January 28, 2022, showing recent missile tests.
KCNA via REUTERS
United Nations experts warned this month that there had been “a marked acceleration” in the testing of short- and medium- range missiles in recent weeks.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.
A State Department spokesperson previously said it “condemns” two of the missile tests conducted earlier in January, saying they violated multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
The UN Security Council first subjected North Korea to sanctions over its arms and nuclear activities in 2006, and has since increased their severity.
The UN also believes that North Korea funded its missile program with around $50 million in stolen cryptocurrency.
