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A resumption of Pyongyang\u2019s torrid testing pace in pursuit of a viable arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles that can hit the U.S. mainland had been widely expected. But the power of the missile and suddenness of the test jolted the Korean Peninsula and Washington. The launch at 3:17 a.m. Wednesday local time \u2014 early Tuesday afternoon in the U.S. capital \u2014 indicated an effort to perfect the element of surprise and obtain maximum attention in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a government statement released through state media, North Korea said the Hwasong-15, the \u201cgreatest ICBM,\u201d could be armed with a \u201csuper-large heavy nuclear warhead\u201d and is capable of striking the \u201cwhole mainland\u201d of the U.S. The North said the missile reached a height of 4,475 kilometers (2,780 miles) and traveled 950 kilometers (590 miles) before accurately hitting a sea target, similar to the flight data announced by South Korea\u2019s military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the launch, it said leader Kim Jong Un \u201cdeclared with pride\u201d that his country has achieved its goal of becoming a \u201crocket power.\u201d State TV said Kim gave the order Tuesday, and it broadcast a photo of Kim\u2019s signed order where he wrote: \u201cTest launch is approved. Taking place at the daybreak of Nov. 29! Fire with courage for the party and country!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking later Wednesday, Trump could not resist taking a dig at Kim. Digressing during a speech in Missouri on tax reform, Trump called Kim \u201cLittle Rocket Man\u201d and described him as \u201ca sick puppy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The North Korean launch was a message of defiance to the Trump administration, which a week earlier restored North Korea to a U.S. list of terror sponsors. It also ruins nascent diplomatic efforts, raises fears of war or a pre-emptive U.S. strike and casts a deeper shadow over the security of the Winter Olympics early next year in South Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A rattled Seoul responded by almost immediately launching three of its own missiles in a show of force. South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed worry that North Korea\u2019s missile threat could force the U.S. to attack the North before it masters a nuclear-tipped long-range missile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The launch was North Korea\u2019s first since Sept. 15 and may have broken any efforts at diplomacy. U.S. officials have sporadically floated the idea of direct talks with North Korea if it maintained restraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The missile also appeared an improvement on North Korea\u2019s past launches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If flown on a standard trajectory, instead of Wednesday\u2019s lofted angle, the missile would have a range of more than 13,000 kilometers (8,100 miles), said U.S. scientist David Wright, a physicist who closely tracks North Korea\u2019s missile and nuclear programs. \u201cSuch a missile would have more than enough range to reach Washington, D.C., and in fact any part of the continental United States,\u201d Wright wrote in a blog post for the Union for Concerned Scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said the missile landed inside Japan\u2019s special economic zone in the Sea of Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A big unknown, however, is the missile\u2019s payload. If, as expected, it carried a light mock warhead, then its effective range would have been shorter, analysts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his call with Xi, Trump made clear \u201cthe determination of the United States to defend ourselves and our allies,\u201d according to a White House statement. Trump also \u201cemphasized the need for China to use all available levers to convince North Korea to end its provocations and return to the path of denuclearization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trump administration bolstered U.S. sanctions against North Korea last week and imposed new restrictions on North Korean shipping firms and Chinese companies that deal with the North.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China\u2019s state-run Xinhua news agency said Xi told Trump that China remained determined to clear the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons, and to preserve peace and stability in Northeast Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kim reported from Seoul. Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Robert Burns in Washington, Foster Klug in Seoul, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday that North Korea\u2019s latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile \u2014 which some observers believe could reach the Eastern U.S. \u2014 \u201cbrings us closer\u201d to a war the U.S. isn\u2019t seeking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":106196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[250,871],"class_list":["post-72503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"PYE7XFGAJJCMZMLJINY43JC34M","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2017\/11\/30\/haley-north-korea-brings-us-closer-to-war-the-us-doesnt-seek\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n