North Korea fires second ballistic missile in a week

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South Korea, which on Sunday had called the launch "reckless and irresponsible," said Monday the launched showed progress in the North's missile program. "South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities assess that North Korea, through its missile launch yesterday, has secured meaningful data for improving the credibility of its missile technology," said Roh Jae-cheon, spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Pukguksong-2 is a land-based version of North Korea's main submarine-launched missile. First tested in February, it uses solid rocket fuel. Solid fuel is like an explosive jelly, and less corrosive than liquid fuel, meaning it can be easily stored in the rocket's fuel tank, unlike the liquid alternative, which requires specially lined tanks. Solid fuel-powered missiles need much less infrastructure, making them difficult for those monitoring North Korea's military movements to spot, as there are fewer indicators, such as movement of trucks, for South Korean or US satellites and other surveillance to pick up on.

Analysts say North Korea's tests may be providing information that will bring it closer to its goal of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile that could possibly threaten the US mainland. After the May 14 test, Melissa Hanham, senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California, said it could be a stepping stone to a longer-range weapon. "This may become half or a third of an ICBM," she said, pointing out that such missiles are built in two or three stages stacked atop of each other.

The tests on back-to-back weekends come after the May 9 inauguration of new South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who had called for a dialogue with Pyongyang over nuclear issues. "The repeated provocation is a reckless and irresponsible behavior, like pouring cold water on the wishes of our new government and the international community for denuclearization and peace to prevail in the Korean Peninsula," said a statement from South Korea's Foreign Ministry.