[Anchor]

Following the launch on the 6th, North Korea fired a ballistic missile from Wonsan toward the East Sea today (the 12th). Although fired from the same location and in the same direction as the previous launch, the flight range more than doubled, prompting assessments that it was a test of a new type of missile.

This report is by defense specialist reporter Kim Taehun.

[Reporter]

South Korea's military assesses that a single ballistic missile fired by North Korea from the Wonsan area in Gangwon Province toward the East Sea at around 6 a.m. today (the 12th) flew more than 700 km.

North Korea also fired a ballistic missile from Wonsan toward the East Sea on the 6th, and its flight distance was known to be about 300 km.

A South Korean military official told SBS, "The missile fired on the 6th exhibited abnormal flight characteristics, whereas today's missile flew normally."

The official added, "There is a possibility that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observed today's launch site in Wonsan."

If it were an existing solid-fuel short-range ballistic missile, it would likely have been fired in pairs or more, and the failure rate would be noticeably low. However, both on the 6th and today, exactly one missile was fired at a time, and one of those attempts failed.

Furthermore, Kim Jong-un has rarely attended past launches of existing short-range missiles.

Consequently, considering that single missiles were fired from the same location in the same direction—resulting in one failure—along with the possibility of Kim Jong-un's attendance, the South Korean military views that North Korea may have test-fired a new type of missile.

[Interview / Kim Dae-young, Research Fellow at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy : "(It is estimated to be) either an extended-range version of the KN-23 intended for export to Russia, or a missile equipped with a hypersonic propulsion system distinct from existing missiles."]

It is also possible that North Korea test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile, which typically has a range of 1,000 to 3,000 km, with its range shortened.

If it is an improved short-range variant, it targets South Korea and U.S. military bases in the country. If it is a new hypersonic or intermediate-range type, Japan and U.S. bases in Japan also fall within its striking range.

While North Korea did not report on the launch from the 6th, today's launch was successful, leading to expectations that it will be reported tomorrow.

(Photo: Yonhap News) (Reported by Kim Hyun-shang | Video by Jung Sunghoon)