SEOUL: North Korea has claimed to have successfully test-launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile, a potential game-changing development in what could be the world's most dangerous nuclear stand-off. Examining the height and distance, US scientist David Wright said the missile could have a range of 6,700 km, enough to reach Alaska.
North Korea's Academy of Defence Science said the test of Hwasong-14 marked the “final step” in creating a “confident and powerful nuclear state that can strike anywhere on Earth”. Details are yet to be confirmed as the country's weapons programme remains the a closely held state secret. Officials from the US, South Korea, and Japan assessed that the North fired an intermediate-range missile into waters very close to Japan. The launch is seen as a political warning to Washington and its chief Asian allies as it came on the eve of the 4th of July, US Independence Day holiday- days ahead of the G20 meet.
US, South Korean and Japanese officials said it flew for 40 minutes and reached an altitude of 2,500 km- longer and higher than any North Korean test every reported. The missile is also said to have covered a distance of about 930 km. North claimed the missile flew as high as 202 km before it hit a designated target in the ocean about 933 km away from the launch site. It said that the missile flew for about 39 minutes and was made at the highest possible angle. However, Russian military said the missile reached an altitude of 535 km and flew 510 km.
Kim Jong-Un has launched satellites previously. An ICBM launch-test however, is a massive step in developing nuclear-armed missiles that could reach anywhere in the US. North Korea has a reliable arsenal of shorter-range missiles and is thought to have a small arsenal of atomic bombs, but is still trying to perfect its longer-range missiles. Some outside civilian experts believe the North has the technology to mount warheads on shorter-range Rodong and Scud missiles that can strike South Korea and Japan, where about 80,000 US troops are stationed. But it's unclear if it has mastered the technology needed to build an atomic bomb that can fit on a long-range missile.
