Pictures from the scene show the young despot watching the missile – dubbed the Hwasong-15 – rocket into the sky before plunging down into the Sea of Japan.
The test marks a significant step forward for the Kim regime, putting the entirety of the mainland US and Britain within range.
North Korea labelled the intercontinental ballistic missile it launched on Wednesday morning as “the most powerful” it has fired to date.
The newly developed Hwasong-15 was launched from a site north of Pyongyang and could travel far enough to reach the mainland USA and Britain.
It is a more advanced missile compared to the Hwasong-14 which North Korea tested back in July from an undisclosed location.
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The main threat for the West is whether the missile can carry a large nuclear warhead far enough to strike the United States.
North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claimed that the Hwasong-15 was “tipped with super-large heavy warhead which is capable of striking the whole mainland of the US”.
Nuclear experts have said North Korea has yet to deliver a nuclear warhead on top of an ICBM, but it is likely this will happen soon.
Jeffrey Lewis, head of the East Asia Nonproliferation Programme at the Middleburg Institute of Strategic Studies, said: “We don’t like it, but we’re going to have to learn to live with North Korea’s ability to target the United States with nuclear weapons.”
The previous missile North Korea tested – the Hwasong-14 – had the capability of delivering a nuclear warhead to the West Coast of the US.
North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claimed that the Hwasong-15 was “tipped with super-large heavy warhead which is capable of striking the whole mainland of the US”.
Nuclear experts have said North Korea has yet to deliver a nuclear warhead on top of an ICBM, but it is likely this will happen soon.
Jeffrey Lewis, head of the East Asia Nonproliferation Programme at the Middleburg Institute of Strategic Studies, said: “We don’t like it, but we’re going to have to learn to live with North Korea’s ability to target the United States with nuclear weapons.”
The previous missile North Korea tested – the Hwasong-14 – had the capability of delivering a nuclear warhead to the West Coast of the US.