North Korea successfully test-launched its Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) again on Wednesday, according to state media, calling it a show of force against U.S. “aggression.”

Leader Kim Jong Un guided the launch from a private mansion on the east side of Pyongyang, photos published by the Rodong Sinmun Thursday morning show, the same place where he oversaw the first Hwasong-18 launch in April.

Reporting on the latest test, state media repeated warnings that the region is on the “brink of a nuclear war” and said the launch should “deter the dangerous military moves of the hostile forces.”

It also accused the U.S. and South Korea of plotting “the use of nuclear weapons against our state through the meeting of the US-south Korea ‘nuclear consultative group’” and this year’s Washington Declaration signed by the leaders of both countries. 

Following threats to shoot down U.S. reconnaissance planes on Monday, the report repeated complaints of “provocative” aerial spying while claiming its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as its “sovereign airspace” — a claim not supported by international law.

It said the ICBM launch “did not exert any negative influence on the security of the neighboring countries,” though it did appear to land in Russia’s EEZ. It is unclear if Pyongyang sent any warning about the launch beforehand. 

The report also asserted that an upcoming U.S. nuclear missile submarine visit to the ROK is evidence of a plan by Washington “to redeploy its nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula.”

The White House National Security Council (NSC) released a statement following the launch saying it “raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region,” adding Pyongyang “must immediately cease its destabilizing actions and instead choose diplomatic engagement.”

“This action demonstrates that the DPRK continues to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people,” the statement read, highlighting a potential domestic issue for Kim Jong Un as he promotes expensive missile development amid the threat of severe flooding this week.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol condemned the launch Wednesday and said it would “come with a price.” 

The U.N. Secretary General “strongly condemn[ed]” the launch in a statement Wednesday and called on Pyongyang to abide by sanctions resolutions outlawing its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs — resolutions Pyongyang has rejected and ignored.

On Thursday, the U.S. and ROK also conducted joint air drills involving a U.S. B-52H strategic bomber, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Korean F-15K and U.S.  F-16 fighters also participated in the formation flight with the bomber.

“Through this exercise, the ROK and U.S. improved their capability to carry out joint operations by swiftly deploying the U.S.’s timely, mutually coordinated extended deterrence forces on the Korean Peninsula,” JCS said.

NEW: North Korean state TV releases video footage of the Hwasong-18 ICBM launch stage separation. It flew at a lofted angle, reaching 6,648.4 km altitude and 1,001.2 km distance over 74 minutes, the DPRK’s longest ICBM flight duration (see full story here:… pic.twitter.com/DnLTmtwxsb

— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) July 13, 2023

Matching the Japanese military’s real-time assessment of the launch, North Korea claimed Thursday that the Hwasong-18 flew for 74.85 minutes, becoming Pyongyang’s longest-ever missile flight duration.

It flew a distance of 622.1 miles (1,001.2 km) and reached a maximum altitude of 4,131.1 miles (6,648.4 km), the Rodong Sinmun said, roughly matching ROK and Japanese assessments of a lofted launch from Wednesday.

Photos show the test was likely from the same design of transporter erector launch vehicle (TEL) as the previous Hwasong-18 test, while video footage aired on state TV on Thursday morning show it was once again “cold launched” from its missile canister atop the TEL. 

Regarding the significant difference in flight durations between the two Hwasong-18 tests — 55 minutes in April and 74 minutes Wednesday — weapons expert Ankit Panda said “they might have simply launched it in a more optimal configuration” this time.

North Korea “made strange claims about the reactivation of upper stages and delaying ignition” in the first test, the Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told NK News, but such claims were absent from the latest report.

NK News analysis of that test showed that the launchpad at the Kim family’s private Jindallae Guesthouse mansion, though made to look like a natural park surrounded by ponds and trees, was purpose-built ahead of that launch and likely reinforced.

The North Korean military likely made the effort to demonstrate it can launch long-range missiles from rough terrain in addition to reinforced concrete pads or airport runways, where all previous ICBM tests were conducted.

Authorities appeared to be rehabilitating a road leading to the grassy launchpad as early as mid-June in preparation for Wednesday’s launch, NK News analysis of satellite imagery shows.

Following the launch, Kim Jong Un reportedly said it helps “strengthen the nuclear war deterrent” of the DPRK and that “there will be no change or hesitation in the strategic line and policy of our Party and the government to continuously accelerate the development of weapon systems.”

Kim also said the launch “shatters the myth of the ‘mightiness’ of the U.S. imperialist bastards” and said it serves as a celebration connected to the upcoming July 27 Korean War armistice anniversary holiday, when North Korea is expected to hold another major military parade.

The launch was reportedly carried out by the 2nd Red Flag Company of the General Missile Bureau (GMB), while General Kim Jong Sik gave the launch order.

Top political aide Jo Yong Won appeared in photos of the launch, while Kim Jong Un’s wife Ri Sol Ju appeared in the background. The Rodong Sinmun did not mention Kim’s daughter in its report or publish images of her at the launch, and she did not appear in a state TV report later Thursday morning either.

It was North Korea’s 12th ICBM launch since 2022, though state media has not reported on all of them and some were presented as tests of other systems but assessed to have been ICBMs by the U.S.

It was the fourth of this year, following public reports on a Hwasong-15 launch in February, a Hwasong-17 in March and the first test of the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 in April.

North Korea unveiled a new nuclear doctrine last September, where Kim Jong Un declared the country would never again negotiate denuclearization and continue to build up its nuclear capabilities.

Edited by Arius Derr