By Yi Whan-woo
North Korea appears to have secured technology to launch a long-range ballistic missile that can hit the U.S. mainland, according to Japan’s latest defense white paper.
In the annual paper, the Japanese defense ministry said it believes North Korea’s Taepodong 2-derived ballistic missile is capable of travelling over 10,000 kilometers if it carries a warhead weighing less than a ton.
Within the 10,000-kilometer range are cities in the western U.S., including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver.
The Japanese government assessment is the latest indication that the Kim Jong-un regime is making progress in its nuclear and ballistic missile technologies against the U.S.
Citing the latest development in Pyongyang’s ballistic missiles and their appearance, the Japanese report said a three-stage, Taepodong 2-derived ballistic missile was used in the country’s purported launch of a satellite rocket on Feb. 7.
“Assuming its warhead is less than one ton, the Taepodong 2-derived ballistic missile is believed to be capable of reaching more than 10,000 kilometers if it is used for its original purposes,” said the report, released Tuesday. “There has been enhanced credibility in North Korea’s long-range ballistic missile technology.”
The report said Pyongyang may already have capabilities to miniaturize nuclear weapons and mount them on the tip of a ballistic missile. But it remains uncertain whether the country can make nuclear warheads of less than a ton.
“Such capabilities can be possible, considering North Korea has made technological developments in its four nuclear tests,” it said.
The paper claimed North Korea’s achievements in nuclear technology are comparable to those of the U.S., the former Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, France and China in the 1960s.
It also warned against a possible increase in Pyongyang’s military provocations, saying: “North Korea may become overconfident that its missile capabilities are strong enough to counter the U.S. if it continues to make progress on its missiles.”
Regarding North Korea’s submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the report said that it is aimed at diversifying the means of missile strikes and to secure nuclear weapons in case of an enemy attack.
Meanwhile, it has been widely speculated that the secretive state still falls short of technology for its ballistic missiles to endure high heat when re-entering the atmosphere.
“And Pyongyang may attempt to carry out new tests to overcome such shortcomings,” the paper said.
Since Kim took power in December 2011, North Korea has carried out 31 ballistic missile tests, which includes a Musudan intermediate-range missile on June 22. It flew 400 kilometers from the launch site in Wonsan. But it was suspected that North Korea deliberately used a high-arc trajectory for a short horizontal range so as not to anger the U.S. and its regional allies.
The Japanese report said the Musudan is believed to have a range of 2,500 kilometers to 4,000 kilometers, which is enough to strike U.S. military bases in Guam.