North Korea said Tuesday it ground-tested a new type of high-powered engine for long-range rockets, in another provocation as the US and its allies vow to strengthen sanctions.
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“Both leaders condemned North Korea’s September 9 nuclear test and resolved to strengthen coordination in achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, including by invigorating cooperation in the United Nations Security Council and in law enforcement channels on North Korea”, a White House statement said.
North Korea launched a satellite in February; however, the test of the Kwangmyeongsong-4 rocket was widely perceived overseas as a test of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) technology.
The test was successful, the report said, providing a “firm scientific and technological guarantee” for North Korea’s plan to launch more satellites.
The engine tested would give the country “sufficient carrier capability for launching various kinds of satellites, including Earth observation satellite at a world level”, the report added.
A rocket engine capable of generating 80 tons of force is “a very powerful rocket, well beyond anything the North Koreans have shown before”, Editor for Nonproliferation Review Joshua Pollack told reporters.
U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday North Korea’s nuclear test “endangers all of us” and the communist nation must “face consequences”.
Naturally, there are a range of ambiguities surrounding the technical specifications and objective of this newly tested engine.
He urged North Korean scientists to round off the preparations for launching the satellites at an early date and bring the news of “greater victory” to its people who have stood up to “the enemies’ harsh sanctions”.
South Korea’s recent decision to deploy the U.S. THAAD missile defense system in response to the threat from the North has already alienated China, which believes that the sophisticated missile defense system is also targeted at Beijing. But the fact that Kim Jong-un tested the new engine so suddenly shows the North wants to raise the pressure on Seoul and Washington.
North Korea has been testing nuclear devices since 2006, and was hit by five sets of Western sanctions over its actions, but vowed to carry on with the drills.
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South Korea’s military Joint Chiefs of Staff also said the test was to verify the performance of “a high-power engine that can be used for long-range missiles”. North Korean leader Kim has overseen a ground test of a new rocket engine and ordered a satellite launch preparation, state media said Tuesday, an indication the country might soon conduct a prohibited long-range rocket launch.
