North Korea test-fired a long-range missile Wednesday morning, which the South Korean
and U.S. militaries are saying was an ICBM.
It flew far higher than any of the North's previous missiles,... and came down in the
East Sea... in Japan's territorial waters.
It's believed this missile could reach just about anywhere in the United States.
Oh Jung-hee has our top story.
North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile early Wednesday morning,... identified by
the regime as a newly developed Hwasong-15 ICBM.
The missile was fired at around 3:17 a.m. from Pyongsong,... a city located 30 kilometers
north of Pyongyang.
It flew 960-kilometers eastward for about 50 minutes and landed in the waters west of
Japan.
The missile was launched at a lofted angle... reaching 45-hundred kilometers -- higher than
any other previously launched North Korean missile.
Hwasong-15 is seen to be an upgraded version of the Hwasong-14 ICBM.
Compared to the Hwasong-14 ICBMs launched in July,... experts say...
Hwasong-15 seems to have a stronger engine... and so, flies farther.
(Korean) "The previous Hwasong-14 missiles could fly
up to 8 or 9-thousand kilometers... reaching the western part of the U.S.
But Wednesday's missile will be able to fly 11 to 12 thousand kilometers.
That covers the whole United States, including the eastern area."
And Pyongyang aimed to make an even greater impact out of this missile launch,... launching
it at early dawn.
(Korean) "Firing a missile at three o'clock in the
morning is indeed a "sudden attack" and helps the regime see how quick South Korea and the
U.S. are to respond.
Also, as it's daytime in the U.S. ... the North aimed to send an even more alarming
message to the U.S."
But in contrast to how a couple of the regime's missiles flew over Japan in August and September
and fell in the waters east of Japan,... this time, Pyongyang decided to step back.
(Korean) "If the North makes its missile land near
the U.S., then the political shock it sends to the world will be too large for it to handle,...
which may possibly lead to stronger international pressure."
The other expert suggested... this may be rather because North Korea was not able to
make technological progress in other areas like re-entry technology.
(Korean) "The North didn't mention re-entry technology
in today's announcement.
And instead of shooting the missile at a normal trajectory and let it pass over Japan, Pyongyang
once again fired its missile at a lofted angle.
This implies... that it may have not solved other technological issues like missile re-entry."
(Stand-up) "The Joint Chiefs of Staff say the recent
launch could be seen as a protest against the recent economic sanctions on the regime...
or against Washington reinstating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The South Korean military stressed... that it's never letting its guard down... and it
is always ready to strike back."
(Korean) "The South Korean military is keeping close
tabs on North Korea's military activities,... our military could destroy the origin of the
provocation and nuclear facilities with precision on any given day from the ground, sea or air."
South Korean forces launched precision strike missiles near the Northern Limit Line in the
East Sea... just six minutes after the North Korean launch was detected.
The JCS says it involved the Army's missile unit, one of the Navy's Aegis destroyers and
one of the Air Force's KF-16 fighter jets... each firing at a simulated target... with
the distance calibrated... to match that of the location... where North Korea test-fired
its missile.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
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