N. Korea's next step may be ICBM test
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, center, visits an artillery unit of the Marine Corps, stationed on Ganghwa Island off Incheon, Sunday, amid growing military tension following North Korea’s fifth nuclear test, Friday. / Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
Following its fifth nuclear test, Friday, North Korea may move to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) ― the KN-08 ― to show off its advanced technology that could threaten the United States, observers said Sunday.
The latest nuclear test followed launches of short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles in recent months. Observers noted that what now remains is the test-firing of the ICBM.
The North’s missile provocations and the nuclear test followed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s instructions in March to conduct a nuclear test and more ballistic missile launches as soon as possible.
The ICBM, with a range of more than 10,000 kilometers, is capable, in theory, of hitting targets on the U.S. mainland.
If the reclusive state pushes ahead with the test-firing of the ICBM, the missile would be mounted with a mockup of a miniaturized nuclear warhead, observers said.
While confirming its fifth nuclear test, Pyongyang said it successfully detonated a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can be placed on a ballistic missile.
Concerns are also growing in the United States about the threats of the ICBM.
The Wall Street Journal said in its editorial Saturday that the accelerating pace of the Kim regime’s nuclear and missile testing shows its determination to threaten Japan, South Korea and the U.S. homeland with nuclear weapons.
“A growing worry for the U.S. is the North’s new KN-08 ICBM with the range to hit Chicago,” it said, citing that the North used a similar rocket in February to allegedly launch a small satellite into space.
The editorial added, “Significant challenges remain, including a warhead that could withstand the vibration and temperature changes of a long-range missile flight. But the North has repeatedly solved technical problems more quickly than expected.”
The New York Times also reported, citing military experts, that by 2020 Pyongyang will most likely have the skills to make a reliable ICBM topped by a nuclear warhead.
“Experts also expect that by then North Korea may have accumulated enough nuclear material to build up to 100 warheads,” it said.
It is believed that the North is still in the development stage of producing an operational ICBM, but from Pyongyang’s point of view, the test-firing of the missile is the surest method to deliver a strong message to Washington.
The North has threatened to launch a nuclear strike on the U.S. mainland, as well as Hawaii and Guam, where U.S. Air Force and Navy bases are.
The South Korean government has not ruled out the possibility that the North has already formed a military unit to deploy the KN-08s. In February, there was a media report that a KN-08 Brigade was a subordinate unit of the Strategic Rocket Forces, which oversee all missile units in the North.
On Feb. 7, Pyongyang launched what it claims was an Earth observation satellite called Kwangmyongsong-4, which was widely regarded as a cover for testing ICBM technology.