North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his officials to expand a satellite launch facility to fire a variety of rockets, state media reported Friday, as the U.S. and South Korean militaries concluded the North is testing a new intercontinental ballistic missile system.
Experts earlier said North Korea could perform a satellite-carrying rocket launch soon in violation of U.N. resolutions after conducting a string of tests recently aimed at modernizing its missile arsenals and applying more pressure on the Biden administration amid stalled diplomacy. Such a rocket launch by North Korea would be its most significant provocation since late 2017 and a violation of its self-imposed moratorium on long-range and nuclear tests.
