North Korea missile test shows it could reach New York, say expertshttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/28/north-korea-fires-missile-japan-reports-say<< The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has issued a fresh challenge to Donald Trump by conducting a second ballistic missile test-launch which experts said placed US cities in range of potential attack. The missile launch was meant as a "stern warning" for the United States, North Korea's state news agency said. The ICBM, which aimed for "maximum distance", flew for 47 minutes and 12 seconds while travelling 998km and reaching a maximum altitude of 3,724.9km, the North said.
The test was ordered by the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, who was cited as saying that the launch reaffirmed the reliability of the country's ICBM system and an ability to fire at "random regions and locations at random times" with the "entire" US mainland now within range. Kim said the launch sent a "serious warning" to the United States, which has been "meaninglessly blowing its trumpet" with threats of war and stronger sanctions, the news agency said.
The launch on Friday from Chagang province came less than a month after Pyongyang claimed to have tested its first ICBM. US officials told NBC the missile had flown for about 1,000km and had landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone. "We assess that this missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile, as had been expected", Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said in a statement. "The missile was launched from Mupyong-ni and traveled about 1,000km before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. We are working with our interagency partners on a more detailed assessment", he said. >>
