What happened
North Korea launched a new, more advanced intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday, with Kim Jong Un calling the missile test an "appropriate military action" against Pyongyang's "rivals." The test flight reached an altitude of more than 4,300 miles, according to Japan's defense ministry.
Who said what
North Korea's first ICBM launch in nearly a year "flew higher and stayed in the air for a longer duration" than any previous weapon, showing the country's "progress in acquiring a nuclear-armed ICBM that can hit the U.S. mainland," The Associated Press said. Analysts said the missile test was "largely meant to grab American attention days before the U.S. presidential election" and also "respond to international condemnation" over North Korea sending troops to fight Russia's war against Ukraine.
Some 8,000 of North Korea's more than 10,000 troops in Russia are likely to join combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the "coming days," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday. He condemned the ICBM launch "in the strongest terms" and said "all countries should be demanding" North Korea "cease these destabilizing actions." China in particular "should be asking Russia some hard questions at this point about whether it intends to broaden this conflict," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin added.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The United Nations Security Council is expected to meet early next week to discuss North Korea's test launch. The U.S., one of the countries calling for the meeting, said the launch was a "flagrant violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions."
-
September 14 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-warTalking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictatorIn the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
‘Peak consumption has become the Holy Grail of the energy debate’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Nadine Menendez gets 4.5 years in bribery caseSpeed Read Menendez's husband was previously sentenced to 11 years in prison
-
Koreans detained in US Hyundai raid return homeSpeed Read Over 300 Koreans were detained at the plant last week
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years for coup attemptSpeed Read Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting to stay in power following his 2022 election loss
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purgeSpeed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk shot dead at 31Speed Read Kirk was holding a debate session at Utah Valley University
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ousterSpeed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
