KIM GOES NUCLEAR
Test missile could carry nuke warhead
NORTH Korean despot Kim Jong-un has celebrated the successful launch of a missile capable of carrying a “large nuclear warhead”.
The regime, who aim to develop weapons capable of striking the US, boasted about the success of the “mid-to-long-range” weapon test on Sunday.
And they said they would continue such launches “any time, any place”.
South Korea said the “Hwasong-12” rocket hit an altitude of 1245 miles and landed in the Sea of Japan, south of Russia.
It appeared able to leave and re-enter the atmosphere, a crucial feature of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Fired from a site north west of Pyongyang, the missile would be capable of hitting Hawaii, according to experts. Jong-un’s news agency said the test, which defied a UN Security Council resolution, “reconfirmed the reliability of new rocket engine in flight”.
Aerospace expert John Schilling said it “represents a level of performance never before seen in a North Korean missile”.
Russia said the missile crashed around 310 miles from their shores. Vladimir Putin condemned the test but said: “We must stop intimidating North Korea and search for a peaceful solution.”
The UN Security Council will discuss the test in emergency talks today.