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North Korean state media on April 11 released this photo of leader Kim Jong-un gesturing at a map of the South’s capital while attending an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea. (KCNA/Yonhap)

North Korea said it test-fired a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time on Thursday. Solid-fuel missiles are more difficult to detect and respond to, further increasing the risk that North Korea could neutralize the three-axis defense system the South Korean government has long been pushing.

After analyzing the missile test that was launched earlier that morning, the South Korean military concluded the test was likely that of a missile using solid fuel. The missile was reportedly launched near Pyongyang and fired toward the East Sea.

Last December, North Korea announced that it had successfully tested a high-thrust solid-fuel engine and then unveiled a new solid-fuel ICBM at a military parade in February. The latter is believed to have been the missile tested for the first time on Thursday.

Unlike liquid fuel, which takes a longer time to inject, solid fuel can be inserted into missiles quickly and covertly as if inserting a battery.

The Yoon Suk-yeol government is currently busy establishing the “three-axis” defense system, which consists of military measures that include a “kill chain,” which detects signs of an imminent North Korean nuclear launch and neutralizes it with a preemptive strike. The problem is, however, if North Korea begins using solid-propellant missiles, it will become increasingly difficult for the South to respond in a timely and effective way using the three-axis system.

Acquiring solid-fuel missiles was one of the five major tasks proposed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2021. In addition, the North has been raising threat levels by rapidly completing other goals such as advancing its hypersonic weapons and launching underwater strategic nuclear weapons.

North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats have become a far more serious reality compared to the past, with Pyongyang having already launched nine ballistic missiles this year alone.

On the one hand, North Korea’s latest launch is interpreted as aiming to strengthen internal solidarity ahead of the 11th anniversary of Kim Jong-un’s ascent to power and the Day of the Sun (Kim Il-sung’s birthday) on April 15. On the other hand, the test is also seen as a protest of South Korea-US joint military drills and the deployment of strategic assets by the US on the southern half of the peninsula.

Also concerning is the fact that the North has failed to respond to regular inter-Korean phone calls since April 7, which could be a sign of a full-scale provocation.

To make matters worse, North Korean media also recently showed Kim Jong-un standing in front of a map of South Korea at a military meeting and pointing to areas near the Seoul metropolitan area.

Such moves by North Korea are extremely regrettable since they will inevitably lead to a power-based arms race and a dangerous escalation of tensions in East Asia.

Meanwhile, the changed international situation places an even heavier burden on South Korea.

The era when the US and China cooperated toward resolving the North Korean nuclear issue is over. Instead, China and Russia are defending North Korea\'s nuclear weapons program by criticizing the “negative impact” of the South Korea-US military exercises.

Along with strengthening its security posture, the South Korean government must devise a strategy to create a diplomatic breakthrough in the midst of the changed international situation.

Instead of breeding further division, the time has come for South Korean society and politicians to put their heads together and gather wisdom in the face of the severity of the current security situation.

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