N. Korea says missile can fly to US mainland with 'heavy nuclear warhead'

By Park Si-soo

North Korea said Monday its latest ballistic missile test proved the missile could carry a “large-size heavy nuclear warhead” over long distances, as far as the U.S. mainland, state news agency KCNA reported.

The long-range missile, Hwasong-12, was fired Sunday morning from a site near the North’s border with China, flew eastward nearly 700 kilometers for 30 minutes, and landed in the East Sea, according to South Korea and the U.S. military. The distance suggests the test was a success.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un witnessed the launch of “new ground-to-ground medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12,” the news official news agency said.

The missile was fired at a steep trajectory “in consideration of the security of neighboring countries,” reaching an altitude of 2,111.5 kilometers before hitting open waters 787 kilometers away, KCNA said.

The isolated country warned the United States not to provoke it, saying “the U.S. mainland and Pacific operations” were within range.

Analysts called this North Korea’s most successful missile test and a significant advancement in its quest to build a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

“North Korea's latest successful missile test represents a level of performance never before seen from a North Korean missile,” aerospace engineer John Schilling was quoted as saying in a CNN report.

The high altitude and long flight time -- 30 minutes -- indicate a missile with an extended range, according to Union of Concerned Scientists co-director David Wright.

Premature boast?

South Korea's military believes its northern rival has yet to master a missile technology for “atmospheric re-entry,” a key technology to develop ICBM.

An official at the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told reporters on Monday that the North’s claim is believed to be true, given related data collected by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

But when asked if the test suggested the North’s missile could soar above the Earth’s atmosphere and re-enter it, the official said, “We believe the chances (of it) are low.”