North Korea's long-range missile test signals its improved, potential capability to attack US

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in almost a year Thursday, demonstrating a potential advancement in its ability to launch long-range nuclear attacks on the mainland U.S.

The launch was likely meant to meant grab American attention days ahead of the U.S. election and respond to condemnation over the North's reported troop dispatch to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. Some experts speculated Russia might have provided technological assistance to North Korea over the launch.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed the launch, calling it “an appropriate military action” to show North Korea’s resolve to respond to its enemies’ moves that have threatened the North’s safety, according to the North's state media.

Kim said the enemies’ “various adventuristic military maneuvers” highlighted the importance of North Korea’s nuclear capability. He reaffirmed that North Korea will never abandon its policy of bolstering its nuclear forces.

North Korea has steadfastly argued that advancing its nuclear capabilities is its only option to cope with the expansion of U.S.-South Korean military training, though Washington and Seoul have repeatedly said they have no intention of attacking North Korea. Experts say North Korea uses its rivals' drills as a pretext to enlarge its nuclear arsenal to wrest concessions when diplomacy resumes.

The North Korean statement came hours after its neighbors said they had detected the North's first ICBM test since December 2023 and condemned it as a provocation that undermines international peace.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea could have tested a new, solid-fueled long-range ballistic missile on a steep angle, an attempt to avoid neighboring countries. Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and hide and can be launched quicker than liquid-propellant weapons.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters the missile’s flight duration of 86 minutes and its maximum altitude of more than 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) exceeded corresponding data from previous North Korean missile tests.

Having a missile fly higher and for a longer duration than before means its engine thrust has improved. Given that previous ICBM tests by North Korea have already proved they can theoretically reach the U.S, mainland, the latest launch was likely related to an effort to examine whether a missile can carry a bigger warhead, experts say.

Jung Chang Wook, head of the Korea Defense Study Forum think tank in Seoul, said that it's fair to say the missile in Thursday's launch could carry North Korea's biggest and most destructive warhead. He said the launch was also likely designed to test other technological aspects that North Korea needs to master to further advance its ICBM program.

North Korea has made strides in its missile technologies in recent years, but many foreign experts believe the country has yet to acquire a functioning nuclear-armed missile that can strike the U.S. mainland. They say North Korea likely possesses short-range missiles that can deliver nuclear strikes across all of South Korea.

There have been concerns that North Korea might seek Russian help to perfect its nuclear-capable missiles in return for its alleged dispatch of thousands of troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment are moving toward Ukraine, in what he called a dangerous and destabilizing development.

Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute, said the early results of Thursday’s launch suggested Russia might have given a key propellant component that can boost a missile’s engine thrust. He said that a higher thrust allows a missile to carry a bigger payload, fly with more stability and hit a target more accurately.

Jung said he speculates Russian experts might have given technological advice on missile launches since Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea for a meeting with Kim in June.

Kwon Yong Soo, an honorary professor at South Korea’s National Defense University, said that North Korea likely tested a multiple-warhead system for an existing ICBM. “There’s no reason for North Korea to develop another new ICBM when it already has several systems with ranges of up to 10,000 to 15,000 kilometers (6,200 to 9,300 miles) that could reach any location on Earth,” Kwon said.

The North Korean confirmation of an ICBM test was unusually quick since North Korea usually describes its weapons tests a day after they occur.

“North Korea could have probably thought that its rivals could look down it after it gave away so much in military resources to Russia," Yang Uk, an expert at South Korea’s Asan Institute Institute for Policy Studies. “The launch may have been intended as a demonstration to show what it’s capable of, regardless of troop dispatches or other movements.”

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett called the launch “a flagrant violation” of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions that “needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region.” Savett said the U.S. will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and its South Korean and Japanese allies.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the launch, which clearly violates U.N. Security Council resolutions banning North Korea’s use of ballistic missile technology, the U.N. spokesman said.

The U.N. chief reiterated his call for de-escalation on the Korean peninsula and establishing an environment for dialogue and the resumption of talks, stressing that “Diplomatic engagement remains the only pathway to sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

South Korean military spokesperson Lee Sung Joon said the North Korean missile may have been fired from a 12-axle launch vehicle, the North’s largest mobile launch platform. The disclosure of the new launch vehicle in September had prompted speculation North Korea could be developing an ICBM that is bigger than its existing ones.

South Korea’s military intelligence agency told lawmakers Wednesday that North Korea has likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test as well. It said North Korea had been close to testing an ICBM.

In the past two years, Kim has used Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a window to ramp up weapons tests and threats while also expanding military cooperation with Moscow. South Korea, the U.S. and others say North Korea has already shipped artillery, missiles and other convectional arms to replenish Russia's dwindling weapons stockpiles.

North Korea’s possible participation in the Ukraine war would mark a serious escalation. Besides Russian nuclear and missile technologies, experts say Kim Jong Un also likely hopes for Russian help to build a reliable space-based surveillance system and modernize his country's conventional weapons. They say Kim will likely get hundreds of millions of dollars from Russia for his soldiers' wages if they are stationed in Russia for one year.

Follow AP's Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific

A TV screen shows an image of North Korea's an intercontinental ballistic missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A North Korea's military guard post is seen from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A TV screen shows an image of North Korea's an intercontinental ballistic missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

North Korean soldiers are seen from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A North Korean soldier stands near the military guard post, seen from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A visitor looks at a map of two Koreas border area at the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A visitor looks at the North Korean side from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A visitor looks at the North Korean side from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A TV screen reports North Korea's an intercontinental ballistic missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Visitors look at the North Korean side from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Visitors look at the North Korean side from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A TV screen shows an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. The letters read "North Korea, launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile today." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A TV screen shows an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Destination sign of North Korea's capital Pyongyang is seen at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Visitors walk near a wire fence decorated with ribbons written with messages wishing for the reunification of the two Koreas at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Visitors walk near a wire fence decorated with ribbons written with messages wishing for the reunification of the two Koreas at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

FILE - In this photo distributed by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, walks near what it says is a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the launcher at an undisclosed location in North Korea on March 24, 2022. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

FILE - This undated photo provided Dec. 19, 2023, by the North Korean government shows what it says is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) being prepared to launch from an undisclosed location in North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to the journalists after a report of North Korea's missile launch, at his office in Tokyo Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

FILE - A North Korean soldier stands at the North's military guard post as a North Korean flag flutters in the wind, seen from Paju, South Korea, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

FILE - In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, supervises artillery firing drills in North Korea, on March 7, 2024. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

GRICIGNANO DI AVERSA, Italy (AP) — The football field immediately strikes the eye for visitors driving on an overpass approaching the U.S. Navy Support Site outside of Naples.

An American football field in the middle of southern Italy.

Turn past the pothole-filled local streets, get through the security gate, and the unkempt Italian roads are replaced by perfectly paved thoroughfares. Home to more than 500 families, the Navy base is where Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty learned to play football.

Now a junior running back for 15th-ranked Boise State and a unanimous selection on The Associated Press midseason All-America team, Jeanty’s talents were first spotted by Naples High School football coach Jim Davis when he was in seventh grade.

Not on the football field, though. That's because tackle football wasn’t an option for middle schoolers.

It was on the basketball court during middle school lunch.

“He’s going up for a layup and he’s getting so much height I’m thinking this kid’s about to dunk the ball,” said Davis, who also teaches physical education at the school. “As a seventh grader, you can imagine how short he is. He’s 5-9, 5-10 now. So he was probably closer to 5-4 or 5-5. And it’s like, ‘Wow, look at the power this kid has at such a young age.’”

Davis had to wait two years to unleash that power in his team when Jeanty was a high school freshman in 2018.

And it wasn’t until the coach moved Jeanty from quarterback two games into the season that he really began to take off.

“I realized he needed to be the running back. I could get anybody to hand off the ball to him,” Davis told the AP during an interview at the military base this week.

In the remaining four games of Naples’ season, Jeanty ran for over 1,200 yards on fewer than 100 carries and scored 17 touchdowns.

“I’d be lying to you if I told you that (I thought) he would be a Heisman candidate,” Davis said. “The only person that probably really felt that way was himself. But I knew he could play at the next level, and that’s why I knew he had to leave here to get the exposure.”

So Davis encouraged Jeanty to go back to the U.S. for his final three years of high school. And that’s what Jeanty did by enrolling at Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas. Now he leads the nation with 1,376 yards in seven games for Boise State and is considered the top running back prospect for the NFL draft.

The one year of football that Jeanty played in Italy was unlike anything most American high school athletes experience.

Naples’ closest competition is nine hours away at a similar base in Vicenza in northern Italy. During Jeanty’s season, the team also played games in Germany, Belgium and Spain. The game in Germany required an 18-hour bus ride.

Current Naples quarterback Camden Kasparek was the ballboy when Jeanty played on the team.

“On those long bus trips, you do a lot of team bonding, a lot of cool opportunities, a lot of fun trips with the team,” Kasparek said, adding that Jeanty still keeps in touch with him via social media and follows the school’s results.

Featuring a movie theater, a bowling alley and a supermarket stocked with American goods, the Navy base is like a home away from home for the kids who live there.

“We have Popeyes and Wendy’s and Subway, and they can buy American clothes and they can buy Skippy peanut butter and Halloween candies now and they’ll go trick or treating here shortly,” Davis said. “So, yeah, it’s very much like a little America.”

Because the Navy support site field doesn’t have lights, some of the team’s games are played at the Carney Park military recreational facility inside a dormant volcano in nearby Pozzuoli.

The rec site is linked to a relationship between the U.S. military community and Naples that dates back to World War II.

“It’s pretty neat," Davis said. “You see the crater all around you.”

Growing up in a military family helped shape who Jeanty is.

“The sense of discipline, order. You work until the job (is) done, not just because the time is over,” Davis said. “He has that work ethic.”

Other athletes have followed Jeanty’s path before from overseas bases to the elite level like George Teague, Michael Strahan, Alejandro Villanueva — and Shaquille O’Neal in basketball.

Military life translates well to football.

“It’s all about teamwork, discipline and honoring the chain of command: not having to like the person next to you, but respecting them to get the mission complete," Davis said.

Davis often wakes up during the middle of the night now to watch Jeanty play. What he sees isn’t much different from what the coach witnessed first-hand six years ago.

“He wouldn’t go down on the first hit. He was explosive. You just felt like you’re always sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for him. You know, next touch might be a touchdown,” Davis said.

“Most of our games were high scoring, like 45-42, 38-35. We were just very fortunate most of those times that we had the ball last. So we were never out of it as long as we gave it to No. 2.”

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Wildcats team Quarterback Camden Kasparek is interviewed by The Associated Press at the football field of the U.S. Naval Support – Site in Gricignano di Aversa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Coach Jim Davis is interviewed by The Associated Press prior to the start of a training session at the football field of the U.S. Naval Support – Site in Gricignano di Aversa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Wildcats team players practice during a training session at the football field of the U.S. Naval Support – Site in Gricignano di Aversa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Wildcats team players practice during a training session at the football field of the U.S. Naval Support – Site in Gricignano di Aversa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Wildcats team Coach Jim Davis is interviewed by The Associated Press as Quarterback Camden Kasparek practices at the football field of the U.S. Naval Support – Site in Gricignano di Aversa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Coach Jim Davis, background center, talks to his players during a training session at the football field of the U.S. Naval Support – Site in Gricignano di Aversa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Coach Jim Davis attends a training session at the football field of the U.S. Naval Support – Site in Gricignano di Aversa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Coach Jim Davis is interviewed by The Associated Press prior to the start of a training session at the football field of the U.S. Naval Support – Site in Gricignano di Aversa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Coach Jim Davis, center, talks to his players during a training session at the football field of the U.S. Naval Support – Site in Gricignano di Aversa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

CORRECTS YEAR - Ashton Jeanty, bottom first from left, poses for a team picture in Naples, Italy Sept. 2018. (Sharon James via AP)

Wildcats team Quarterback Camden Kasparek practices during a training session at the football field of the U.S. Naval Support – Site in Gricignano di Aversa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

CORRECTS YEAR - Ashton Jeanty, second from right, smiles with his teammates in Spangdahlem, Germany on Sept. 2018. (David Albright via AP)

Coach Jim Davis shows the jersey worn by Ashton Jeanty as he is interviewed by The Associated Press prior to the start of a training session at the football field of the U.S. Naval Support – Site in Gricignano di Aversa, southern Italy, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)