North Korea says it conducted ICBM test, days ahead of U.S. election

North Korea announced Thursday morning that it had performed an intercontinental ballistic missile test, with the launch thought to have accomplished the longest flight time for a North Korean missile to yet.

The test comes just days before the presidential election in the United States on Tuesday, and it follows warnings from South Korea’s intelligence agency that Pyongyang was likely to launch an ICBM to test its reentry capabilities around the election.

The test also comes as North Korea appears to have increased its nuclear production efforts and improved connections with Russia, raising widespread concerns in the West about the isolated nation’s future.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missile was launched at “a lofted angle,” which means it went almost vertically upwards rather than out, and traveled a distance of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).

North Korea’s state media stated that the launch “demonstrated the modernity and credibility of the world’s most powerful strategic deterrent.”

The missile from Thursday’s test flew higher than North Korea’s previous ICBM test, according to initial analysis by the South Korean military.

While the missile exhibited the range to strike anywhere in the United States, it would need to be fired at a flatter trajectory to hit the country.

The White House condemned the test as “a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.”

National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said the launch “needlessly raises tensions” in the region and that the US would “take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and Republic of Korea and Japanese allies.”

Speaking at the launch site, Kim affirmed that his country “will never change its line of bolstering up its nuclear forces.”

In addition to an ICBM test, South Korea’s military intelligence agency also warned North Korea could soon conduct its seventh nuclear test.

The agency announced on Wednesday that Pyongyang had completed preparations for such a test at its Punggye-ri test site, and that the test may take place around the time of the US election, according to two legislators briefed during a routine parliamentary meeting.

The launch comes as US and South Korean officials announced that thousands of North Korean troops are training in Russia, preparing for a possible deployment to the front lines of Moscow’s conflict against Ukraine.

The Pentagon estimated that approximately 10,000 North Korean soldiers are receiving military training in eastern Russia.

According to U.S Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, some personnel have pushed closer to Ukraine, wearing Russian military uniforms and using Russian equipment.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun stated that North Korea is “very likely to ask” Moscow for advanced nuclear weapons technology in exchange for deploying troops to assist Russia.