Reckoning World War 3, North Korea launches ballistic missile capable of hitting US mainland

North Korea has launched a ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland, and it has triggered the fear of a possible war in the near future.

north korea leader kim jong-un
(KCNA/Reuters)

The worst fear is slowly turning true, as North Korea led by their Supreme leader Kim Jong-un has launched a ballistic missile which is capable of hitting the US mainland. The rogue nation, on Wednesday, said that the missile is capable of targeting the entire US, and thus the country has achieved the goal of becoming a nuclear state.

The tested missile is named Hwasong-15, and it is the longest-range ICBM ever tested by North Korea. According to reports, this ICBM is capable of traveling more than 8,100 miles in a flat trajectory, which indicates that it can easily hit Washington DC.

Soon after the launch, US President Donald Trump told reporters that the country will take care of this new situation. Trump also talked with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussing the crisis in the Korean peninsula. However, China and Russia have not reacted to the development so far, though Moscow criticized the US for terming North Korea a terror-sponsor state.

Japanese predictions came true

The missile test follows what a Japanese source said earlier that the country has detected radio signals suggesting a North Korean nuclear test in preparation.

North Korea has been conducting continuous missile test since April. However, they paused the tests in September after a rocket passed over the skies of Japan's northern Hokkaido island.

Prior to today's test, Yonhap news agency of South Korea reported that active movements had been detected from a North Korean nuclear base.

Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported that the country is on high alert after detecting the mysterious radio signals. The report also suggested that the signals may be the result of North Korea's winter military training programme.

International sanctions not working

As North Korea paused their missile tests on September 15, 2017, political experts believed that International sanctions are working with the rogue nation. But now, as North Korea has tested the new ICBM, it becomes evident that Kim Jong-un is not ready to be dissuaded from his blind nuclear ambitions.

A week ago, Donald Trump designated Pyongyang as a sponsor of terrorism and also indicated that more International sanctions will be imposed on the rogue nation. Now that North Korea conducted a missile test, tensions will reach new levels in the Korean peninsula, which may finally result in a war between the North and South Korean allies.

North Korea building its ballistic submarine

Earlier, we have reported that North Korea is now busy developing its ballistic submarine. Satellite images released by Washington-based 38 North, a North Korea monitoring project, indicated increased activity in the Sinpo South Shipyard, and experts claimed that Pyongyang is busy completing the final stages of building the SINPO-C ballistic missile submarine.

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