Another day, another North Korean missile test. This time, the threat could be even greater as all major US cities are supposedly within range.
Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said the launch should be considered a “grave warning” to Washington, prompting strong condemnation from the US and other governments around the world.
North Korea tested the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday that appeared to have the range to hit major US cities, experts said. A combination of US, South Korean and Japanese analyses of the launch from Mupyong-ni, near North Korea’s border with China, showed the missile flew about 45 minutes, going 3,700km high and for a distance of 1,000km.
If the missile were fired on a flatter, standard trajectory, it would have US cities such as Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago well within its range, with the possible ability to reach as far as New York and Boston, according to David Wright, a missile expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists. However, early analysis of Friday’s test cannot determine how heavy a payload the missile was carrying in its warhead, Wright said. The heavier the payload, the shorter the range.
South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said they estimated the missile was more advanced than one launched earlier this month based on the range it travelled. Experts had said that test showed Pyongyang had the ability to hit Alaska.
Another observer agreed that the ICBM test has elevated concerns over the potential for North Korea to launch nuclear strikes on the US. There has been some speculation on the accuracy of North Korea’s ICBMs, but even a relatively inaccurate weapon could still be effective. “The US is filled with large urban sprawl conurbations that present very large targets for ICBM attacks. A missile doesn’t have to land exactly in downtown to cause massive casualties,” said Dr Morris Jones, an Australian space analyst and writer.
Another crucial factor is the timing, as North Korea has conducted two launches of this advanced system in less than a month. Political factors seem to have influenced the timing of the launches, according to Dr Jones, and weather problems apparently produced a slight delay in the second test. US Independence Day, on July 4, was the date of the first launch, and the second launch seems to have been originally slated for the anniversary of the Korean armistice on Thursday. “Take away these influences, and North Korea could have conceivably conducted both launches in an even shorter time interval,” he observed.
The US, meanwhile, has come up with a strongly-worded response in addition to sending jets to fly over the Korean Peninsula in a show of force.
President Donald Trump condemned the missile launch and said the US would act to ensure its security. He also slammed China “for not reining in Kim Jong-un and his missile programme”. “I am very disappointed in China,” Trump wrote in a pair of Twitter posts. “...they do NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk. We will no longer allow this to continue. China could easily solve this problem!”
With the rhetoric getting shriller on all sides, it would be interesting to see how things develop in the days and weeks to come.