WASHINGTON — North Korea’s successful test launch on July 12 of a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile equipped to penetrate U.S. missile defenses is likely the result of technical cooperation sourced to Russia, according to a new think tank report first obtained by NBC News.
The Hwasong-18 missile’s physical dimensions and its flight trajectory data appear “nearly identical” to that of Russia’s Topol-M ICBM, says the report, authored by Dr. Theodore A. Postol, a professor emeritus of science, technology and national security policy at MIT. The report was written for Beyond Parallel, a project sponsored by the defense think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The new missile represents a sudden and significant advancement of North Korea’s ballistic missile arsenal, according to North Korea’s own pronouncements confirmed by U.S. officials. The rocket is solid-fueled, making it harder for Western intelligence to detect than liquid propellant ICBMS. The July test, observed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was the first successful launch of a solid-fueled ICBM. The test also demonstrated the Hwasong-18’s capability to deliver multiple thermonuclear warheads as far as Washington, the report said, and deploy decoy canister countermeasures to evade U.S. missile defenses.
“The sudden appearance of these advanced capabilities is difficult to explain without cooperation from the Russian government and its scientists,” writes Postol.
Russia supplying North Korea with these capabilities would mark a significant escalation of the growing military cooperation between the two countries and stand in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions signed onto by Russia prohibiting support for North Korea’s ballistic missile program.
July 27, 202300:59
The U.S. has accused North Korea of supplying Russia with munitions to support its war in Ukraine, with North Korea receiving food and energy from Russia in return. The Treasury Department unveiled new sanctions this week targeting three entities tied to a network trying to avoid U.S. sanctions and support arms deals between the two countries.
Russia and North Korea have both denied the transfer of weapons to Russia. But the two countries, who have had historically friendly relations dating back to the Cold War, have made no secret of their increasingly close military collaboration amid a heavy international sanctions regime.
Two weeks after the test, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was welcomed to Pyongyang for the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice on July 25, meeting with Kim there. Ahead of Shoigu’s visit, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the visit would help “strengthen Russian-North Korean military ties.”
Kim sent a message to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin reported by state media Wednesday touting the “militant friendship and solidarity” established between their two countries during the Korean War that they are now “demonstrating their invincibility and might in the struggle to smash the imperialists’ arbitrary practices and hegemony.”
“Historically, Russia has always been very transactional and opportunistic on the Korean peninsula, and they see an opportunity here,” said Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia and Korea Chair at CSIS. “They need the munitions, and North Korea has a lot. They’ve got a 1.1-million-man army. They’ve got a lot of munitions. And North Korea needs ballistic missiles, ballistic missile technology.”
North Korea’s provocations will be a major focus of the upcoming trilateral summit between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan at Camp David, along with China’s aggressive actions in the region. The three allied countries are set to announce a historic plan to bolster mutual security ties, including an intelligence-sharing agreement on missile threats, regular joint military drills and a new three-way crisis hotline, according to senior administration officials.
The new agreement is coming as Kim has ordered a sharp increase in North Korea’s missile production, touring major munitions factories this week.
“It’s very difficult to get the U.S., Korea and Japan trilaterally together because of all the domestic historical issues,” said Cha, who believes that the security situation in the region, as well as the war in Ukraine, is sparking the trilateral breakthrough. “The war in Ukraine has changed everything. It has changed the way everybody looks at security.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
