New missile test shows North Korea capable of hitting all of US mainland
Story highlights
- The missile went higher than any previous North Korean test
- North Korea has tested 23 missiles in 16 tests since February
Washington (CNN)North
Korea claims to have successfully tested a new type of intercontinental
ballistic missile, topped with a "super-large heavy warhead," which is
capable of striking the US mainland.
The
country's state media made the announcement Wednesday, hours after
leader Kim Jong Un ordered the 3 a.m. launch of the Hwasong-15 missile,
which reached the highest altitude ever recorded by a North Korean
missile.
Image from Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's official newspaper, which published photos said to be of the latest missile launch.
State
news agency KCNA called its so-called new missile "the most powerful
ICBM" and said it "meets the goal of the completion of the rocket
weaponry system development.
After
the launch, Kim said North Korea had "finally realized the great
historic cause of completing the state nuclear force," according to
KCNA.
US Defense Secretary James
Mattis said earlier the missile launched demonstrated North Korea had
the ability to hit "everywhere in the world."
The
launch was the first since September, and came despite repeated
warnings from President Donald Trump who told reporters at the White
House after the launch that the US "will handle" the situation.
"We will take care of it," the President said.
The
Hwasong-15 soared 4,475 kilometers (2,800 miles) in the sky, spending
53 minutes in the air, before splashing down in waters off the coast of
Japan, North Korea said. The figures tallied with estimates released by
Japan and South Korea.
Trump on North Korea launch: We will handle it
Mattis,
who was with Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, outlined
how much tougher that situation has become. The test missile, he said,
went "higher, frankly, than any previous shot they have taken" and
demonstrates that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un now has the ability to
hit "everywhere in the world basically."
"The
bottom line is, it's a continued effort to build a threat -- a
ballistic missile threat that endangers world peace, regional peace and
certainly the United States," Mattis concluded.
David
Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists said that if the missile
hadn't been lofted into the sky and had flown on a standard trajectory,
it would have been capable of traveling 13,000 kilometers, or 8,100
miles.
"Such a missile would have
more than enough range to reach Washington, DC, and in fact any part of
the continental United States," Wright said in a statement, though he
noted that range probably wouldn't be possible if the missile were
fitted with a heavy nuclear warhead.
The
missile was launched from the west part of North Korea and is likely to
have landed in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, according to Masaki
Hikida, public relations officer at Japan's Ministry of Defense.
Another image from Rodong Sinmun said to be of the latest missile launch.
The
flight time would suggest that this was a major ICBM test "possibly in
operational settings" and should "disabuse US officials from thinking
military displays, sanctions, or threats are deterring North Korean
tests," according to Adam Mount, a senior fellow at the Federation of
American Scientists.
"Today's test
proves that Pyongyang still feels able to test at will," he told CNN,
adding it also shows the Trump administration "has to get serious about
deterring an atmospheric nuclear test."
North
Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho had hinted in September that
Pyongyang could carry out an atmospheric nuclear test over the Pacific
Ocean, possibly by strapping a warhead atop a missile or dropping it
from an airplane.
Condemnations
Secretary
of State Rex Tillerson strongly condemned the launch and called for
redoubled international pressure on Pyongyang, saying that the US
"remains committed to finding a peaceful path to denuclearization." But
he added a lightly veiled warning about limited US patience.
"Diplomatic options remain viable and open, for now," Tillerson said.
Graham warns of war with North Korea
Sen.
Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who sits on the Senate
Armed Services Committee, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that, "If we have to
go to war to stop this, we will. If there's a war with North Korea it
will be because North Korea brought it on itself, and we're headed to a
war if things don't change."
On
Wednesday, a North Korea official reiterated comments made to CNN in
October that there would be no diplomacy until the country has proven
its nuclear capabilities.
The
official added the two steps needed to achieve this goal were the
"testing of a long-range ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile)"
capable of reaching the US, followed by an above-ground nuclear
detonation.
"Before we can engage
in diplomacy with the Trump administration, we want to send a clear
message that the DPRK has a reliable defensive and offensive capability
to counter any aggression from the United States," the official said,
referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Prior
to today's launch, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle had warned of
devastating consequences if the US takes military action against North
Korea. Pyongyang can batter Seoul with a barrage of conventional
weapons, putting millions of South Koreans and more than 28,000 US
troops stationed there within range.
Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking from Tokyo, issued a warning of his
own. The latest missile launch, he said, "significantly undermines the
strong determination of the international community's peaceful
resolution of the issue."
International
diplomacy swiftly kicked into high gear, with US Ambassador to the UN
Nikki Haley requesting an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council
with her counterparts from South Korea and Japan. That meeting is set to
take place Wednesday afternoon.
Carrots and sticks
Meanwhile,
Tillerson announced that the US and Canada will convene a meeting of
nations that contribute military forces to the UN Command that supports
South Korea to discuss "how the global community can counter North
Korea's threat to international peace."
For
decades, multiple US administrations and international coalitions have
tried and failed to curb Pyongyang's nuclear program, whether they've
used carrots or sticks. Sometimes, North Korea has taken the carrots --
aid and greater access to the international system -- and still
continued its program.
Sanctions, the latest round of which the US announced on November 22, seem to have made little difference in curbing North Korea's resolve to obtain nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.
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The
Center for International and Strategic Studies, which closely monitors
North Korean launches through its Beyond Parallel initiative, said
historical data shows that Pyongyang is set to significantly ratchet up
its testing in the first half of 2018.
South
Korea demonstrated some of its efforts to prepare for North Korean
hostilities on Tuesday. The country's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the
South Korean military had carried out a "precision missile strike drill"
just minutes after North Korea's launch.
The
precision missile strike matched the flight distance of the North
Korean missile and landed in waters off the east coast of South Korea,
effectively showing North Korea it can hit the exact location where
Pyongyang launched the Hwasong-15.
"Our
army, navy and air force jointly fired three missiles (a
ground-to-ground missile, a ship-to-ground missile and an air-to surface
missile) and hit the same target around the similar time to show its
ability to target North Korea's origin of provocation," said Park
Soo-hyun, a spokesman for South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Park added that Moon and Trump spoke on the phone for about 20 minutes.
'On hair trigger alert'
The
point, Mattis told reporters in Washington, was "to make certain North
Korea understands that they could be taken under fire by our ally."
Mount
of the Federation of American Scientists said the South Korean goal was
to show the North that "it has the ability to hit the North's mobile
missile launchers or leadership targets."
"It
is a measured and pointed response but also a reminder that the
peninsula remains on hair-trigger alert," he told CNN. "In this
situation, provocations or even mistakes could quickly escalate out of
control."
White House press
secretary Sarah Sanders said on Twitter that Trump "was briefed, while
missile was still in the air, on the situation in North Korea."
Mysterious 'ghost ships' wash ashore in Japan
North
Korea has launched missiles at an unprecedented rate in 2017, testing
two in July that also demonstrated intercontinental range.
Before Wednesday's test, North Korea had fired 22 missiles without active warheads
during 15 tests since February. US officials say North Korea is
continuing to develop its missiles, rocket fuel and engines, as well as
targeting and guidance systems.
The US and South Korea
believe Pyongyang may be able to put a miniaturized warhead on a
missile sometime in 2018 -- giving it the theoretical capability to
launch a missile with a warhead atop it that could reach the US.
It is currently testing a more advanced version of its existing ICBM, a US official told CNN earlier this month.
