North Korea claims new ICBM, completion of nuclear development

North Korea said Wednesday it has successfully test-fired a new long-range ballistic missile with the whole U.S. mainland in range, rekindling sharp military tensions in the region.


It announced the Hwasong-15, an upgrade of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile, can carry a super-size nuclear warhead, a feat the North's leader described as the final touches on the country's nuclear weapons development.

"It is the most powerful ICBM which meets the goal of the completion of the rocket weaponry system development set by the DPRK," the Korean Central News Agency said in its English-language report, using the acronym for the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The announcement came hours after the firing of a projectile from the outskirts of Pyongyang was detected.

During its 53-minute flight, it traveled 950 kilometers at an apogee of 4,475 km to splash into the East Sea, an assertion confirmed by the defense authorities of South Korea, the United States and Japan.

The data suggest that the North has succeeded in extending the range of its ICBM enough to threaten the Eastern United States, while it remains a question whether it has mastered atmospheric re-entry and warhead miniaturization technologies for a reliable ICBM.

But Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said the test might not have been a full success as it lost contact with the control center on the ground in the middle of the flight.
 [upi.com]
 29/11/17