North Korea tests another ICBM

US experts say North Korea's latest missile tests confirm its ability to strike Los Angeles and possibly other cities including Chicago.

The Hwasong-14 missile.

A handout photo purportedly showing North Korea's Hwasong-14 missile earlier this month. (AAP)

North Korea says it has conducted another successful intercontinental ballistic missile test proving its ability to strike all of America's mainland.

US President Donald Trump responded on Friday with a sharp warning, China a rebuke.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised the midnight (local time) launch of the missile and said it was a "stern warning" for the United States that it would not be safe from destruction if it tries to attack, the North's official KCNA news agency said.

North Korea's state television broadcast pictures showing the missile lifting off in a fiery blast in darkness and Kim cheering with military aides.

"The test-fire reconfirmed the reliability of the ICBM system, demonstrated the capability of making a surprise launch of the ICBM in any region and place any time, and clearly proved the whole US mainland is in the firing range of the DPRK missiles, (Kim) said with pride," KCNA said.

DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The North conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear test last year and has engaged in an unprecedented pace of missile development that experts said significantly advanced its ability to launch longer-range ballistic missiles.

"By threatening the world, these weapons and tests further isolate North Korea, weaken its economy, and deprive its people," Trump said in a statement.

"The United States will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American homeland and protect our allies in the region."

China, the North's main ally, said it opposed North Korea's "launch activities that run counter to Security Council resolutions and the common wishes of the international community".

Early on Saturday, the United States and South Korea conducted a live-fire ballistic missile exercise in a display of firepower in response to the missile launch.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford and Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris spoke by phone with top South Korean official General Lee Sun-jin to discuss military responses.

The Trump administration says all options are on the table but has also made clear diplomacy and sanctions are its preference.

The test came a day after the US Senate approved a package of sanctions on North Korea, Russia and Iran. Trump is ready to sign the bill, the White House said on Friday.

In Friday's test, North Korea's Hwasong-14 missile, named after the Korean word for Mars, reached an altitude of 3724.9 km and flew 998 km for 47 minutes and 12 seconds before landing in the waters off the Korean peninsula's east coast, KCNA said.

Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies said the launch showed Los Angeles was within range of a North Korean missile, with Chicago, New York and Washington just out of reach.

The US-based Union of Concerned Scientists said its calculations showed the missile could have been capable of going as far into the United States as Denver and Chicago.


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3 min read
Published 29 July 2017 3:20pm
Source: AAP


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