South Korea's Defense Minister warns N. Korea against ICBM launches

South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik warned North Korea against its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches.South Korea's Defense said that South Korea and the United States are considering the two options of deploying further US strategic assets and drills if North Korea continue its provocations, according to South Korea's News Agency (Yonhap).Shin said that South Korean and US special forces are holding combined aerial maneuvers and facilities raid training this week. He added that talks were also under way for the deployment of US strategic assets "within a few days," with joint South Korea-US drills and a trilateral one, involving Japan, being considered in conjunction with the deployment.Regarding the latest ICBM launch, Shin said that Seoul assesses the missile to be a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM, which the North fired in April and July this year."Looking at the (missile's) maximum altitude, flight distance and top speed, it is similar to the Hwasong-18 fired in July," he said, noting that the launch used a three-stage rocket, unlike the two-stage rockets used in the North's Hwasong-15 and 17 liquid-fuel ICBMs.Shin said the missile's flight appeared to be successful, although the North is assessed to have yet to complete development of atmospheric reentry technology for the missile's warhead.On Monday, Pyongyang fired an ICBM into the East Sea, the fifth such launch this year and the highest number ever recorded in a single year. A day earlier, the North launched a short-range missile from Pyongyang.