North Korea: Second ICBM test proves US in strike range

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the second flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) demonstrated that his country can hit the US mainland.


Hic comments came hours after the launch which left analysts concluding that a wide swath of the US, including Los Angeles and Chicago, is now in range of North Korean weapons.

The Korean Central News Agency said on Saturday that Kim expressed "great satisfaction" after the Hwasong-14 missile reached a maximum height of 3,725 kilometres (2,314 miles) and travelled 998 kilometres (620 miles), before accurately landing in waters off Japan.

The agency quoted Kim as saying that the launch reaffirmed the reliability of the country's ICBM system and ability to fire at "random regions and locations at random times", with the "entire" US mainland now within range.

Analysts had estimated that the North's first ICBM on July 4 could have reached Alaska, and said that the latest missile appeared to extend that range significantly.

Immediately after the launch, US and South Korean forces conducted live-fire exercises.
 [aljazeera.com]
29/7/17
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