North Korea tests advanced intercontinental ballistic missile

New "Hwasong-18" in North Korea. Credit: AFP

North Korea successfully test-fired its new advanced ICBM in a show of force against US «aggression», its state media reported on Thursday.

The launch of Hwasong-18 on Wednesday morning was only the second time a solid-propellant ICBM with a range capable of hitting the US continent was launched by a rogue state. It was also the longest flight time ever, at 74 minutes.

Kim Jong-un, the country's authoritarian leader, watched the launch from a private mansion in the eastern part of the capital, Pyongyang, according to NK News. .

Photographs show the North Korean leader beaming and cheering as a massive rocket lifts off from a launch pad in the landscaped natural park at the Kim Jindallae family's guest house as Kim applauds and soldiers congratulate each other.< /p> Kim Jong Un watched the launch from a private mansion. Photo: KCNA via KNS The launch had the longest flight time ever recorded Photo: KCNA via KNS

State media reported that the latest missile launch was part of the regime's efforts to bolster self-defense against the «disaster nuclear war» and the reckless military actions of the US and South Korea.< /p>

Kim previously referred to the Hwaseong-18 as his most powerful nuclear weapon, designed to strengthen the North's ability to counteroffensive in the face of US military threats.

Experts say its solid-fuel component makes it easier to deploy and harder to detect and intercept than other liquid-fueled ICBMs.

NEW: North Korean state television has released footage of the separation of the launch stage of the Hwaseong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile. It flew at an angle, reaching an altitude of 6,648.4 km and a distance of 1,001.2 km in 74 minutes, the longest flight time for an ICBM in the DPRK. Pyongyang earlier this week that it could shoot down a US spy plane it claims was invading its airspace.

They also lashed out at the US over its plans to host a nuclear submarine on the Korean Peninsula, calling it a «serious threat» to world peace.

The ICBM launch is the peninsula's latest escalation.

The test has been condemned by world leaders. Photo: KCNA via KNS

It climbed to over 3,700 miles on a ground trajectory with a range of about 620 miles, and then splashed down in the waters between Japan and South Korea.

Tests were conducted year-round. condemned by the international community, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called it a threat to peace and security in the region and around the world.

In Washington, US National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge called it «a blatant violation of numerous Security Council resolutions UN and an unnecessary increase in tensions and the risk of destabilizing the security situation in the region.”

The United Nations Security Council will hold a public meeting on Thursday to discuss the latest missile launch.

The meeting was requested UK, USA, Albania, France, Japan and Malta.