N. Korea tests intercontinental ballistic missile, boasting nuclear counterstrike capability

The test comes after North Korea denounced recent U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises, which heightened tensions.

Analysts believe North Korea already possesses nuclear counterstrike capabilities. 

"I think it demonstrates technological progress, but I would not describe this as a game changer," Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told CNN. 

According to the defense ministry of South Korea, North Korea is continuing to work on the weapon and would likely conduct additional tests to perfect the technology. 

North Korea has long sought to create a solid-fuel ICBM because it would enable them to launch missiles more quickly in the event of a conflict.

Solid-fuel ICBM

Solid-fuel missiles, according to analysts, are preferable since they don't need to be fueled right before deployment and are far more responsive in an emergency.

Such missiles are simpler, safer, and need less logistical support than liquid-fuel missiles, according to a Reuters report. 

North Korea will probably still utilize some liquid-fuel systems, making it more difficult for the U.S. and its allies to make accurate calculations in the event of a confrontation, noted Reuters. 

This is the first time the North has used solid propellants in an ICBM or intermediate-range missile.

As per South Korean military officials, the missile's greatest height was less than 3,730 miles (6,000 kilometers), which was the apogee of some of last year's record-breaking tests.

During a military parade in February, Pyongyang exhibited what might have been a brand-new solid-fuel ICBM. In December, it tested a high-thrust solid-fuel engine. 

However, with the help of early warning satellites that can spot discrepancies in the infrared data provided by different missile types, the U.S. can distinguish whether a missile is solid- or liquid-fueled.

The most recent launch came days after Kim advocated for bolstering war deterrents in a "more practical and offensive" way to oppose what North Korea called American aggression. 

According to a scholar at the University of North Korean Studies, North Korea would most likely perform additional tests to gather the necessary data because the missile test did not show the rocket's typical flight pattern.

"North Korea could have opted to focus on collecting data necessary to check its features at different stages than going full speed at the first launch," Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, told Reuters.