North Korea fire missile with ability to strike ‘entire mainland United States’

An intercontinental ballistic missile, which was fired by North Korea on Friday and landed near Japanese waters showed a potential ability to reach to strike the entire US, Japan has said.

According to South Korean and Japanese estimates, the North Korean missile flew about 3,600-3,790 miles at a maximum altitude of 1,000 – 620 miles.

US Vice President Kamala Harris will now hold emergency talks with leaders from Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada to discuss the launch.

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Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters the altitude suggests the missile was launched on a high angle.

He said depending on the weight of a warhead to be placed on the missile, the weapon has a range exceeding 9,320 miles, "in which case it could cover the entire mainland United States".

Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese posted on Twitter: "North Korea’s unprecedented launch of multiple missiles recklessly threatens the security of our entire region."