NORTH KOREA TEST HWASONG-14 ICBM WITH RANGE OF 10,000 KM MAY REACH MAJOR U.S CITIES

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• published: 30 Jul 2017
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INTRODUCTION: North Korea tested intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) named HWASONG-14 on Friday that appears to have the range to hit major US cities. North Korea now has tested this ICBM twice in July and what is most alarming is the fact that the latest test seems to show that the Hwasong-14 missile can travel even more distance that previously thought. Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency said on Saturday that the test was designed to show the Hwasong-14's maximum range with a "large-sized heavy nuclear warhead". It added that Washington should regard the launch as a "grave warning." In this video, Defense Updates analyzes the latest missile test by North Korea and evaluates its implications. Lets get started. ACTUAL RANGE: 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 47 minutes, going 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) high and for a distance of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). According to David Wright, a missile expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, if the missile were fired on a flatter, standard trajectory, it would have major US cities like Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago well within its range, with possibly the ability to reach as far as New York and Boston. Kim Dong-yub, a defense analyst at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University in Seoul said: “Depending on how heavy a warhead it carries, this latest North Korean missile would easily reach the West Coast of the United States with a range of 9,000 to 10,000 kilometers,” or 5,600 to 6,200 miles. He added, “With this missile, North Korea leaves no doubt that its missile has a range that covers most of the United States.” NO IMPACT OF ANY PRESSURE There were indications earlier this week that nuclear-armed North Korea was preparing for another ballistic missile test. Some experts had predicted the communist nation would launch the test on Thursday to mark Victory Day, a military holiday but was delayed one day due to unfavorable weather conditions. Regardless, the new test represents a setback in efforts to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. International community and U.S has been trying to compel North Korea to give up its missile and nuke programs by enforcing sanctions, but these have failed. China, North Korea's longtime ally, has been pressuring the regime to abandon these programs but so far has little to show for it. Experts say North Korea currently is known to have the capability to send missiles to all of South Korea, Japan, as well as to Guam and the Hwasong-14 is a major step augmenting its strikes capabilities. PARALLEL NUKE PROGRAM A missile is as destructive as its warhead, which is why North Korea is running missiles and nuke program in parallel. In total North Korea has conducted 5 nuclear tests till now. The first nuke test was conducted by North Korea on Oct. 8, 2006. As per the United States analysts, it had a yield of less than one kiloton of TNT. Blasts have become more powerful since then. The device tested by the North, in January 2016, had a force equivalent of 7 kilotons of TNT. By contrast, the device detonated on Sept 2016 looks to have had a force equivalent of 25 kilotons of TNT, according to the most analysis. CLOSER TO MAJOR GOAL: The ultimate goal is to have ICBM with a range to reach whole of US carrying nuclear warhead. North Korea now seems to have more or less perfected the missile technology. US official familiar with the latest intelligence assessment confirmed that North Korea would have a deployable solution in place by 2018. IMPLICATION It can be said that the US and international community no longer has a ticking clock, but the time has actually run out. North Korea has cleared the major technical hurdles and as time goes by they will refine the systems in term of accuracy, readiness and reliability. CONCLUSION North Korean state media was quick to tout the missile test as a success, with video and stills showing Kim Jong Un overseeing the launch and celebrating with the troops involved. Kim is 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 nor replaced, according to Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Hours after that call, the US and South Korean military conducted a live fire exercise as a show of force in response to the missile test. Both militaries conducted a similar show of force, after North Korea's first test in early July. South Korea said on Saturday it will proceed with the deployment of 4 additional units of the THAAD anti-missile defense system. As Trump administration grapple with the situation with no signs of having plans of direct negotiations, there is no reason to expect a quick breakthrough.