[Yonhap Photo]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday hailed the successful test of a new ballistic missile capable of carrying a heavy nuclear warhead, warning that the US mainland is within the range of a nuclear strike, as the UN Security Council called an urgent session.
The missile called "Hwasong-12", launched on Sunday, traveled 787 kilometers (488 miles) after reaching an altitude of 2,111.5 kilometers and hit a designated target in the sea precisely, according to Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
[Yonhap Photo]
"The test-fire aimed at verifying the tactical and technological specifications of the newly developed ballistic rocket capable of carrying a large-size heavy nuclear warhead," the agency said in an English article.
Kim supervised the missile launch and warned that Washington should not misjudge the reality that its mainland and operations in the Pacific region are in North Korea's "sighting range" for a strike, according to KCNA.
[Yonhap Photo]
North Korea will be armed "all powerful means" for a retaliatory strike, he said, urging scientists to speed up the development of medium and long-range missiles capable of carrying standard and heavy nuclear warheads.
The warning came as the UN Security Council decided to hold an urgent meeting this week on the North's fresh provocation that sent alarm across the Pacific. "There are no excuses that justify North Korea's actions. This was close to home for Russia. China can't expect dialogue. This threat is real," US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said in a Twitter message.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
