FILE PHOTO: A Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is launched at Pyongyang International Airport, in Pyongyang, North Korea February 18, 2023 in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS
SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea could test-fire intercontinental ballistic missiles at a normal angle and conduct its seventh nuclear test this year to perfect its nuclear and missile capabilities, South Korean lawmakers said on Wednesday, citing intelligence officials.
The isolated country has so far conducted ICBM tests on lofted trajectories, but has already secured capabilities to launch them at a normal angle, which it might do to pressure the United States, the lawmakers said after a briefing by Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS).
North Korea is also likely to launch a spy satellite this year in line with its previous warnings, said Yoo Sang-bum, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Lincoln Feast.)
