How safe is the US from a N Korea nuclear attack?
UNITED STATES: After a twomonth hiatus, North Korea tested a long-range missile on Wednesday that it said could strike ‘‘the whole mainland of the US’’. North Korea has made significant progress in its nuclear programme, but it is prone to exaggeration. What should we believe?
Can North Korean missiles reach Washington, DC? insure they land harmlessly in the sea and avoid striking a real target thousands of kilometres away.
Wednesday’s test, which reached an altitude of about 4500km and covered a distance of about 1000km, was the highest yet, and convinced scientists that North Korea now has Washington within its range.
North Korea would fire the missile on a flatter, or lower, trajectory to reach its target if it launched an actual attack.
Can North Korea place a nuclear weapon on these longrange missiles? occur during an attack.
‘‘It may have responded differently if it were tested at a normal trajectory,’’ said Karl Dewey, an analyst at IHS Markit, a London-based research company. Dewey said it is unclear if a North Korean nuclear payload could even withstand the rigours of a long flight.
Can the US defend against a missile attack? US territory of Guam. Spurred by the North Korean threat, the Pentagon is looking for new ways to beef up its missile defence.
Can the US convince North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear programme?
Experts are sceptical. Kim has said repeatedly that he needs a nuclear-strike capability to deter any military moves by the US to topple his dictatorial regime.
There also is a political motive behind Kim’s drive. The nuclear programme is ‘‘a point of great national pride’’, said Sheila Miyoshi Jager, a professor at Oberlin College and author of Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea.