Tag: ICBM

N. Korea warns Japan of ‘imminent self-destruction’ for siding with US

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Nuclear-armed North Korea has warned Tokyo against “imminent self-destruction” for siding with Washington, as tensions soar after Pyongyang fired a missile over Japan. The North set off global alarm Tuesday when it fired an intermediate-range missile over the Asian island nation, triggering condemnation from world leaders including the US and Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced the launch as an “unprecedented, serious and grave threat” and agreed with […]

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North Korea’s missile launch: Why Japan?

  by Shingo Ito Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — When nuclear-armed North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan this week, it sparked international condemnation. But it also raised the question: Why Japan? Location It might seem obvious, but geography is frequently a huge factor in geopolitical wrangling. The Japanese archipelago forms a long string off the coast of mainland north Asia, so by definition, any regional player that wants to fire a […]

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N. Korea’s Kim orders more production of ICBMs: state media

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un has ordered more production of rocket engines and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) nosecones, Pyongyang state media said Wednesday. Tensions over the North’s weapons programs have mounted this year and it carried out two ICBM tests last month, overseen by Kim, that apparently brought most of the United States within range. A series of threats followed from both sides, and while the rhetoric has since […]

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North Korea leader hints he would hold off on plan to test-fire missiles to Guam after briefing

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has been briefed on a plan to fire missiles near Guam but hinted that he would hold off on the launch, Pyongyang’s state media said Tuesday. Kim “examined the plan for a long time” and “discussed it” with commanding officers on Monday during his inspection of the command of the Strategic Force in charge of the North’s missile units, according to the Korean Central […]

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N.Korea’s ICBM fires up fears in South for US alliance

by Jung Ha-Won Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s latest missile test has extended the range of its weapons to much of mainland United States and raised a new fear in the South: would Washington protect Seoul when that could put American cities in danger? The US is security guarantor for the democratic and capitalist South, where 28,500 US troops are stationed to defend it from Pyongyang after the 1950-53 Korean […]

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N. Korea ICBM still facing technical hurdles: US expert

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — North Korea could field a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile able to strike America by next year, but Pyongyang must first overcome important technological hurdles, a United States expert warned Monday. North Korea has alarmed the international community by the pace and progress of its missile development program, and this month leader Kim Jong-Un conducted two tests of an ICBM. The first of these trials, which Kim described as a gift […]

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US responds to N.Korea missile test with show of force

by Olivia HAMPTON / with Park Chan-Kyong in Seoul Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — North Korea said Sunday its latest ICBM launch was a “warning” over efforts to slap sanctions on the hermit state, as the US carried out a successful test of its missile defense system in a pointed show of force. A bilateral mission led by US strategic bombers on Saturday flew over the Korean Peninsula in a direct response […]

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Intercontinental Ballistic Missile developers received a celebratory welcome on their arrival in Pyongyang

  Pyongyang, North Korea (Reuters) — North Korean developers who contributed to the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) received a celebratory welcome on their arrival in Pyongyang on Friday (July 7). The North’s state-run television KRT broadcast a video on Saturday (July 8) showing residents waving flowers to welcome the missile developers of ICBM that an expert said could allow a weapon to hit the U.S. state of Alaska. The United States plans […]

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N. Korea seeks ‘driver’s seat’ with ICBM test: analysts

by Jung Ha-Won Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Newly equipped with an intercontinental ballistic missile, North Korea is looking to put itself in the “driver’s seat” for any future negotiations with Washington, analysts say — but may at the same time be pushing such talks further away. The weapon, tested on the United States’ Independence Day, can reach Alaska, and could go even further. It brings within reach Pyongyang’s long-held dream of […]

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N. Korea says ICBM can carry ‘large, heavy nuclear warhead’

SEOUL, North Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile is capable of carrying a “large, heavy nuclear warhead” that can survive re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, its official news agency said Wednesday. The device, launched on Tuesday in a watershed moment for Pyongyang’s weapons ambitions, was capable of reaching Alaska, according to outside experts. The Korean Central News Agency quoted leader Kim Jong-Un, who personally oversaw the test, as having inspected the Hwasong-14 missile and […]

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US confirms N. Korea ICBM launch

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed Tuesday that North Korea has test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time. “The US strongly condemns North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Testing an ICBM represents a new escalation of the threat to the US, our allies and partners, the region, and the world,” Tillerson said in a statement. He added that the US “will never accept a nuclear-armed […]

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