North Korea says it has achieved goal of becoming nuclear state

By Bahk Eun-ji

North Korea says it has achieved its longtime goal of becoming a nuclear state with the successful test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Wednesday.

According to the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the Hwasong-15 ICBM is capable of carrying a “super-large heavy warhead” and “striking the whole mainland of the U.S.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared that the country has finally realized the completion of “the state nuclear force” and become a nuclear state.

The KCNA said the missile, fired at 3:17 a.m., flew about 950 kilometers to an altitude of around 4,475 kilometers in its 53-minute flight. It landed in the sea 370 nautical miles off Japan.

The firing is North Korea's first provocation since it launched an intermediate-range missile over Japan on Sept. 15.

The latest test was the third ICBM firing, following the launch of two Hwasong-14 ICBMs in July, KCNA said.

North Korea said its nuclear weapons do not pose a threat to any country unless its interests are infringed.

“The development of our weapons is only to protect ourselves from the nuclear threat of the U.S.,” it said.

In a telephone conversation, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump strongly condemned the North’s provocation and agreed to maintain maximum pressure and sanctions against Pyongyang.