WASHINGTON/SEOUL—North Korea said on Tuesday it successfully test-launched a first intercontinental ballistic missile, (ICBM), which analysts said could put all of the U.S. state of Alaska in range for the first time.
U.S. networks Fox News and NBC said U.S. officials had told them they believed Tuesday’s test was of an ICBM, marking a worrying milestone in Pyongyang’s missile development. CNN quoted officials as saying it was probably a two-stage ICBM.
The United States requested a closed-door meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council on the launch, a session likely to be scheduled for Wednesday, a spokesman for the U.S. mission to the United Nations said on Tuesday.
The launch, on the eve of U.S. Independence Day, took place days before leaders from the Group of 20 nations were due to discuss steps to rein in North Korea’s weapons program, which it has pursued in defiance of Security Council sanctions.
North Korea’s state media said the launch was ordered and supervised by leader Kim Jong Un and sent the Hwasong-580 miles, reaching an altitude of 1,741 miles over a flight time of 39 minutes.
North Korea has said it is working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland, something U.S. President Donald Trump vowed in January would never happen.
Some analysts said the flight details suggested the new missile had a range of more than 4,970 miles, which would put significant parts of the U.S. mainland in range, representing major advances in its program.
David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said the flight time and distance suggested the missile could travel about 4,163 miles, bringing all of Alaska into range.
