North Korea accused of launching a missile that could have hit US bases

An undated image released by North Korea's official Central News Agency in December 2023 shows a test launch of the Hwasongpho-18. intercontinental ballistic missile in an unknown location in North Korea. Photo: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images

North Korea is suspected of launching a new solid-fuel missile that could hit US bases as it prepares to send its top diplomat to Russia.

Pyongyang appears to have fired a medium-range missile into the sea, according to its neighbors South Korea and Japan.

The missile, launched Sunday afternoon, flew about 600 miles from eastern North Korea. coast, the South Korean military said. It flew at a maximum altitude of at least 30 miles, Japan's defense ministry said, adding that the launch was a violation of UN resolutions.

It was North Korea's first known missile test this year after a record year of testing in 2023 year. Pyongyang has stepped up its bellicose rhetoric in recent weeks, declaring US ally South Korea its «main enemy» and threatening to destroy it if provoked.

At the same time, North Korea is moving closer to Moscow.

North Korea's state news agency announced Sunday that Foreign Minister Choi Song-hee will visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday. Her visit took place at the invitation of her Russian colleague Sergei Lavrov, KCNA reported.

Sergei Lavrov met Choe Song Hui in Pyongyang in October 2023 and is due to meet again in Russia this week. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

The US said it had evidence that Russia used ballistic missiles from North Korea in its war with Ukraine. He called Moscow's missile launch «disgusting» and Seoul called Ukraine a test site for North Korean nuclear-capable missiles.

North Korea and Russia have vowed to deepen military ties but deny making arms deals.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said the timing of Sunday's rocket launch was important.

“This launch is more than just a test, as it comes just after the Kim regime stepped up its belligerent rhetoric toward South Korea, and just before the North Korean foreign minister's trip to Russia,” he said.

p>“Pyongyang's show of force should raise concerns outside Seoul because its military cooperation with Moscow is increasing violence in Ukraine and because it may be more willing to challenge the United States and its allies , while global attention is focused on the Middle East.

In December, North Korea said it had tested its newest intercontinental ballistic missile designed to hit the mainland United States. In November, the company said it had successfully tested solid-fuel motors designed for medium-range missiles, most likely intended to hit U.S. bases in Japan and Guam.