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National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon prepares for a hearing of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on July 11. (pool photo)

According to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) analysis of North Korea’s launch of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 4, although the North has achieved long-range capability, it appears to lack atmospheric reentry technology.

Members of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee said that in a hearing on July 11, NIS Director Suh Hoon said, “The NIS’s tentative assessment of North Korea’s ICBM capability is that it has succeeded in developing a long-range ballistic missile, but considering the fact that it was launched from a fixed launcher, the development of North missile technology still seems to be in its beginning stages.”

The NIS says the Hwasong-14 is an upgraded version of the mid-range Hwasong-12 that the North fired successfully on May 14. The first stage uses the Hwasong-12 engine, and the second stage has the kind of small engine that was tested in a satellite launch test conducted in Dongchang Village, North Pyongan Province in June last year. The Intelligence Committee added, “We aren’t certain yet, but considering the lack of a heat-resistant warhead shield in the experiment, it appears that the North has not succeeded in developing reentry technology.”

About North Korean nuclear tests, the NIS said, “The nuclear test site at Punggye Village is ready to go whenever Kim Jong-un gives the word, but there are no signs that another test is imminent.”

The NIS also says that the international community is toughening restrictions on North Korea in the wake of its missile launch and that the North conducted only 33 diplomatic exchanges with 17 countries during the first half of this year, which is the lowest rate since Kim Jong-un took power (68 in 2012 down to 38 in 2016).

By Kim Nam-il and Kim Kyu-nam, staff reporters

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