- North Korea's latest missile could have range to hit Los Angeles and Chicago, experts say
- US should regard the launch as a "grave warning," Pyongyang says
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'Whole US mainland' in missile range, North Korea says
US slams North Korea missile test as Kim claims 'whole US mainland' in reach
Story highlights
(CNN)North
Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile Friday that appears
to have the range to hit major US cities, experts say, and prompted a
fresh round of condemnation from the United States, China, Japan and
South Korea.
A
combination of US, South Korean and Japanese analyses of the launch from
Mupyong-ni, near North Korea's border with China, shows the missile
flew about 45 minutes, going 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) high and for
a distance of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).
If
the missile were fired on a flatter, standard trajectory, it would have
major 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.
Photos: North Korea says 'whole US mainland in range'
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Photos
taken from Korean Central Television show the activity around North
Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile launch late Friday.
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Photos: North Korea says 'whole US mainland in range'
Photos
taken from Korean Central Television show the activity around North
Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile launch late Friday.
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South
Korea's joint chiefs of staff said they estimate the missile tested
Friday is more advanced than one launched earlier this month based on
the range it traveled. Experts had said that test showed Pyongyang had
the ability to hit Alaska.
President Donald Trump condemned the missile launch and said the United States would act to ensure its security.
"Threatening
the world, these weapons and tests further isolate North Korea, weaken
its economy and deprive its people," Trump said in a written statement.
"The United States will take all necessary steps to ensure the security
of the American homeland and protect our allies in the region."
Kim calls weapons program a 'precious asset'
Pyongyang's
state-run Korean Central News Agency said Saturday that the latest
missile launch was a Hwasong-14, the same missile tested earlier this
month.
Friday's test was designed
to show the Hwasong-14's maximum range with a "large-sized heavy nuclear
warhead," it said, adding that Washington should regard the launch as a
"grave warning."
North Korean
state media was quick to tout the missile test as a success, with video
and stills showing leader Kim Jong Un overseeing the launch and
celebrating with the troops involved.
North
Koreans hailed the test-firing, the news agency said. Kim Yu Chol, a
researcher at the State Academy of Sciences, called the achievement
"another great victory which dealt a heavy blow to the US imperialists
and its vassal forces." Jo Son Hyang, a resident of Pyongyang's Rangnang
District, said the "future of the country is bright" now that it has a
"powerful sword for keeping peace."
Kim
was quoted as saying "the whole US mainland" is now within North
Korea's reach. He called Pyongyang's weapons program "a precious asset"
that cannot be reversed or replaced, according to the agency.
In
the wake of the test, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Gen.
Joseph F. Dunford Jr., and Adm. Harry Harris, commander of US Pacific
Command, called the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Gen.
Lee Sun Jin, to express "ironclad commitment" to the US alliance with
South Korea and discuss military response options.
Hours
after that call, the US and South Korean military conducted a live-fire
exercise as a show of force in response to the test, according to
Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis. The exercise included firing
missiles into the ocean.
Both militaries conducted a similar show of force after North Korea's first ICBM test in early July.
If
North Korea's assertions about Friday's test are true, Pyongyang may be
even more advanced in its missile program than previously thought.
Earlier in the week, a US official told CNN the United States believed
that North Korea would be able to launch a reliable nuclear-capable
intercontinental ballistic missile by early 2018.
The
official said that while North Korea can currently get a missile "off
the ground," a lot of undetermined variables remain about guidance,
re-entry and the ability to hit a specific target.
China condemns launch
China,
a longtime North Korean ally, issued a statement Saturday condemning
the missile launch and asked Pyongyang to "stop taking actions that
would escalate tensions" on the Korean Peninsula.
"The
UN Security Council has clear regulations on North Korea's launch
activities that use ballistic missile technologies. China is opposed to
North Korea's launch activities in violation of UN Security Council
resolutions and against the will of the international community,"
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.
Beijing's statement reiterated its long-held position on North Korea's missile program.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said China and Russia need to do more to stop North Korea.
"As
the principal economic enablers of North Korea's nuclear weapon and
ballistic missile development program, China and Russia bear unique and
special responsibility for this growing threat to regional and global
stability," Tillerson said in a statement.
After
speaking Saturday with Tillerson, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio
Kishida said Tokyo would join Washington in new appeals to those
countries to stop North Korea.
The
missile splashed down about 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of the
Shakotan Peninsula of Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, well
within Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, Kishida said.
Not
everyone agrees that North Korea launched an ICBM. The Russian Defense
Ministry said its tracking indicated the weapon was a "medium-range
ballistic missile," Russian state news agency Tass reported Friday.
Nuclear-capable missile?
Michael
Elleman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated a
range of at least 9,500 kilometers (5,900 miles) for the missile,
according to Reuters news agency -- less than that estimated by Wright,
but still potentially putting Los Angeles within reach.
"The
key here is that North Korea has a second successful test in less than
one month," he said. "If this trend holds, they could establish an
acceptably reliable ICBM before year's end."
North Korea has seen a year of rapid progress in its missile program.
Pyongyang
has carried out 12 missile tests since February and conducted its first
test of an ICBM on July 4 -- which it says could reach "anywhere in the
world."
"North Korea is slowly
morphing into a nuclear and missile power right before our very eyes,"
said Harry J. Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest and an expert on North Korea.
"North
Korea will continue to test over and over again its missile technology
and nuclear weapons in the months and years to come in order to develop
the most lethal systems it can," Kazianis said. "You can bet every time
they do tensions will continue to rise. This is what makes the situation
on the Korean Peninsula as dangerous as it is."
Trump urged to respond
Less than six years in power, Kim has tested more missiles than his father and grandfather combined.
The latest test has spurred calls for a response from the Trump administration.
"North
Korea's latest missile test shows the Trump administration's actions
are not changing North Korea's behavior and it's time for the President
to articulate a comprehensive strategy to the American people -- so far
he's failed to do that," Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu told CNN on Friday.
Administration officials have warned that "all options are on the table" but a clear path forward has yet to materialize.
Doug
Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute who specializes in
foreign policy, told CNN that North Korea's missile launch shows its
leaders are "absolutely committed to their missile programs" and not
interested in tempering their activities.
Bandow,
who visited North Korea last month, said the regime is convinced that
developing its missile program as a nuclear deterrent is absolutely
necessary. It's a mindset, he said, that puts pressure on Trump, who
finds himself in a situation with no good choices.
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