Two North Korean missile flights in recent weeks were test firings of a powerful new long-range ICBM, and a full-range test might be coming shortly, according to the Biden administration.
The Pentagon reported that American missile defense and surveillance units in the Pacific had been placed in "increased readiness" in anticipation of a follow-up to the recent, restricted tests.
North Korea Testing New ICBM System
The tests were of a missile that was supposedly larger than a North Korean ICBM that was capable of reaching the United States that was launched in 2017.
They were "likely to test elements of this new system before the DPRK executes a full-range launch, which they may perhaps attempt to disguise as a space launch," according to the official, who referred to the country by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The launch in 2017 was one of a series of tests that caused then-President Donald Trump to warn North Korean officials with "fire and fury," bringing the two countries closer together. According to a senior US official, multiple UN Security Council resolutions restrict North Korea from shooting ICBMs, and the US will announce fresh penalties on Friday aimed at making it more difficult for the nation to get technology essential for its nuclear programs.
North Korea conducted its ninth set of missile tests this year, taking advantage of a lull in talks to strengthen its military capabilities while pressuring the Biden administration for compromises, an official from the administration talked on the condition of anonymity to discuss the future action, according to AP News.
US Orders Intensified Surveillance
As reported by a senior Administration official, Pyongyang's repeated tests on February 26 and March 4 included a relatively new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system that (North Korea) is developing after careful research.
The US Indo Pacific Command ordered "intensified intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance gathering efforts in the Yellow Sea, as well as increased readiness among our ballistic missile defense assets in the region" earlier this week, according to the senior official.
The US Treasury will announce additional measures on Friday in Washington to assist prevent North Korea from gaining access to foreign commodities and technology that would allow it to progress its forbidden weapons programs. Nonetheless, the launches were a "brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions," the official said, adding that they seriously raise tensions and risk destabilizing the security situation in the region.
"Unlike previous tests, the DPRK attempted to conceal these escalators measures," the person added. The senior official reaffirmed the United States' "common objectives," as per Straits Times.
After three rounds of Trump meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula yielded no appreciable change in North Korean posture, the Biden administration has reached out to North Korea multiple times since taking office last year in an attempt to bring it back to the negotiating table.
North Korea has yet to react to any US request. Biden has stated that he is open to new ideas. The American intelligence assessment was developed and disseminated in collaboration with regional partners, including South Korea and Japan, according to the US official, USA Today reported.
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