(EDITORIAL from Korea JoongAng Daily on Nov. 1)

Counter the threat from the North and Russia

On Thursday, North Korea fired a new ICBM from a launch site near Pyongyang into the East Sea. The North took the action shortly after the United States and South Korean defense ministers issued a joint statement after their Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Washington — and just five days before the Nov. 5 presidential election in the United States.

On Oct. 29, Russia conducted long-range missile strike exercises by mobilizing its Army, Navy and Air Force. The North's nearly vertical ICBM launch just two days after the Russian drills epitomizes the two countries' closer military ties than before. What attracts our special attention in the North's missile launch was the longest-ever flight of the new ICBM it fired from a new 12-axle transporter erector launcher. The Hwasong-18 ICBM the North fired in July 2023 flew for 74 minutes, but the new one flew for 86 minutes, which suggests the rapid advancement of the North's ICBM technology.

North Korea hasn't yet proved its atmospheric reentry technology for ICBMs capable of striking the U.S. mainland. But concerns are deepening over the possibility of Russia stealthily providing North Korea with its advanced military technology in return for the North's dispatch of more than 10,000 soldiers to Russia to help its war against Ukraine.

That's not all. The National Intelligence Service said North Korea prepares to launch a military reconnaissance satellite again after its earlier failure. If the country acquires surveillance assets on top of ICBMs, it will pose a serious security challenge to both South Korea and America. Signs of Russia transferring sensitive technologies to the North are plenty — particularly after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed their new military treaty in Pyongyang.

Since North Korea was found to have dispatched its troops to Russia, some of them are reportedly deployed on the battlefields of Kursk close to Ukraine. Russia wants to fill the void from the deaths of its 700,000 soldiers with young North Korean soldiers, while the North wants to get military technology from Russia in exchange. But it will be a big mistake if the two countries believe they can achieve their political goals through the military exchange.

In the SCM in Washington, South Korea and the United States agreed to reflect the scenarios of responding to a North Korean nuclear attack in their joint drills. Our defense minister warned against overblowing the danger from Russia's technology transfer to the North. But our military must thoroughly prepare for the new threat.
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