Page 26 - 072917

Groton Daily Independent
Saturday, July 29, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 029 ~ 26 of 67
missile reached a maximum height of 3,725 kilometers (2,314 miles) and traveled 998 kilometers (620 miles) before accurately landing in waters off Japan. The agency said that the test was aimed at confirming the maximum range and other techni- cal aspects of the missile it says was capable of delivering a “large-sized, heavy nuclear warhead.”
Analysts had estimated that the North’s rst ICBM on July 4 could have reached Alaska, and said that the latest missile appeared to extend that range signi cantly.
Immediately after the launch, U.S. and South Korean forces conducted live-fire exercises. South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo calledforthedeploymentofstrategic U.S. military assets — which usually meansstealthbombersandaircraft carriers — as well as additional launchers of an advanced U.S. anti- missile system.
People react while watching a news broadcast on a mis- sile launch in Pyongyang, North Korea, Saturday, July 29, 2017.NorthKoreanleaderKimJongUnsaidSaturdaythe second ight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile demonstratedhiscountrycanhittheU.S.mainland,hours afterthelaunchleftanalystsconcludingthatawideswath of the United States, including Los Angeles and Chicago, is now in range of North Korean weapons. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)
Japanese government spokesman
Yoshihide Suga said the missile,
launched late Friday night, ew for
about 45 minutes — about ve minutes longer than the rst. The missile was launched on very high tra- jectory, which limited the distance it traveled, and landed west of Japan’s island of Hokkaido.
The KCNA quoted Kim as saying that the launch reaf rmed the reliability of the country’s ICBM system and an ability to re at “random regions and locations at random times” with the “entire” U.S. mainland now within range. The agency said that the test con rmed important features of the missile system, such as the proper separation of the warhead and controlling its movement and detonation after atmospheric re-entry.
Kim said the launch sent a “serious warning” to the United States, which has been “meaninglessly blow- ing its trumpet” with threats of war and stronger sanctions, the KCNA said.
On the streets of Pyongyang, North Koreans welcomed the news of their country’s latest missile test while state media broadcast images of a projectile launched into the night sky. Kim Jong Un was seen in the company of military commanders near a mobile missile launcher.
“I feel really con dent. From now on, we will develop and have the strongest weapons, strategic weap- ons, so we can safeguard our sovereignty and independence, so that we can end up winning against the imperialists and against America,” said Pak Gi Nam, a student. It is normal for North Koreans talking in front of TV cameras to stick to the of cial version of events.
The North Korean ight data was similar to assessments by the United States, South Korea and Japan.
David Wright, a physicist and co-director of the global security program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that if reports of the missile’s maximum altitude and ight time are correct, it would have a theoretical range of at least 10,400 kilometers (about 6,500 miles). That means it could have reached Los Angeles, Denver or Chicago, depending on variables such as the size and weight of the warhead that would be carried atop such a missile in an actual attack.