North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Saturday the second flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile demonstrated that his country can hit the US mainland, hours after the launch left analysts concluding that a wide swath of the United States, including Los Angeles and Chicago, is now in range of North Korean nuclear weapons.
The Korean Central News Agency said that Kim expressed "great satisfaction" after the Hwasong-14 missile reached a maximum height of 3,725 kilometres (2,314 miles) and traveled 998 kilometres (620 miles) before accurately landing in waters off Japan. The agency said that the test was aimed at confirming the maximum range and other technical aspects of the missile it says was capable of delivering a "large-sized, heavy nuclear warhead."
Analysts had estimated that the North's first ICBM on July 4 could have reached Alaska, and said that the latest missile appeared to extend that range significantly.
Immediately after the launch, US and South Korean forces conducted live-fire exercises. South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo called for the deployment of strategic US military assets — which usually means stealth bombers and aircraft carriers — as well as additional launchers of an advanced US anti-missile system.
Video Editor: Ibrahim Mohd
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