North Korean missile test puts US cities in range

North Korea’s second test of an intercontinental ballistic missile has put vast areas of the United States, including Los Angeles and Chicago, within range of its weapons, analysts say.

North Korea said the Hwasong-14 missile, launched on Friday, reached a maximum altitude of 3,725 kilometres and travelled 998km before landing in waters off Japan.

The test was aimed at confirming the maximum range and other technical aspects of a missile capable of delivering a “large-sized, heavy nuclear warhead”.

The flight data released by North Korea was similar to assessments by the US, South Korea and Japan.

David Wright, a physicist and co-director of the global security programme at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that if reports of the missile’s altitude and flight time were correct, it could have a range of at least 10,400km.

That meant it could have reached Los Angeles, Denver or Chicago, depending on variables such as the size and weight of the warhead the missile was carrying.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that the launch reaffirmed the reliability of the country’s missile system and an ability to fire at “random regions and locations at random times” with the entire US mainland now within range.

Mr Kim said the launch sent a “serious warning” to the US, which has been “meaninglessly blowing its trumpet” with threats of war and stronger sanctions.

Immediately after the launch, US and South Korean forces conducted live-fire exercises.

South Korean defence minister Song Young-moo called for the deployment of strategic US military assets – stealth bombers and aircraft carriers – and launchers of an advanced US anti-missile system.

The missile was launched on a very high trajectory, which limited the distance it travelled, and landed west of the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

The Hwasong-14 test-fired earlier this month was also launched at a very steep angle, a technique called lofting, and reached a height of more than 2,500km before splashing down in the ocean 930km away.

South Korea’s military said the missile was launched from North Korea’s northern Jagang province near the border with China.

President Moon Jae-in presided over a meeting of his security advisers, which called for an emergency session of the United Nations security council and stronger sanctions against North Korea.

US president Donald Trump condemned the missile test as a threat to the world and rejected North Korea’s claim that nuclear weapons ensure its security. “In reality, they have the opposite effect,” he said.

Mr Trump said the weapons and tests “further isolate North Korea, weaken its economy and deprive its people”.

He promised to “take all necessary steps” to ensure the security of the US and its allies.

Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida said he had told US secretary of state Rex Tillerson that the second missile test greatly increased the threat from Pyongyang.

Mr Kishida said the two sides agreed to consider all means necessary to exert the utmost pressure on North Korea. They reiterated calls for more sanctions and to work closely with South Korea along with efforts by China and Russia.

China, meanwhile, urged its ally North Korea to abide by UN security council resolutions and halt any moves that could escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Washington and its allies have watched with growing concern as Pyongyang has made progress toward its goal of having all of the US within range of its missiles to counter what it calls US aggression.

There are other hurdles, including building nuclear warheads to fit on those missiles and ensuring their reliability.

Many analysts were surprised by how quickly North Korea has developed its nuclear and missile programmes despite UN sanctions that have squeezed the country’s economy.

Mr Trump has said he will not allow North Korea to obtain an intercontinental ballistic missile that can deliver a nuclear warhead.

But this week, the defence intelligence agency said that the North would have a reliable missile capable of carrying a nuclear weapon as early as next year, two years sooner than the agency’s earlier estimate.

On the streets of Pyongyang, North Koreans welcomed the news of their country’s latest missile test.

“I feel really confident. From now on, we will develop and have the strongest weapons, strategic weapons, so we can safeguard our sovereignty and independence, so that we can end up winning against the imperialists and against America,” said Pak Gi-nam, a student.

North Korea celebrates July 27 as Victory in the Fatherland Liberation War Day, marking the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War. That armistice is yet to be replaced with a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula technically in a state of war.