'N. Korea’s Hwasong-14 missile is nuclear capable,' say U.S. analysts

'N. Korea’s Hwasong-14 missile is nuclear capable,' say U.S. analysts. July. 08, 2017 07:10. by Seung-Heon Lee ddr@donga.com.

U.S. analysts say that North Korea is probably capable of putting a nuclear warhead on its intercontinental ballistic missile “Hwasong-14” that North Korea hailed for itssuccessful launch. North Korea’s nuclear threat is close to becoming a reality to Americans.

“North Korea can put a nuclear warhead on a reentry vehicle of its ICBM if it uses a small, semicircularreentry vehicle, which is easier to develop and has more chance of success,” said John Schilling, a researcher at the Aerospace Corporation, during a telephoneconference by 38 North, the Washington-based North Korea monitoring website of Johns Hopkins University on Thursday (local time).

“The launch of Hwasong-14 took place from Panghyon Airbase in North Pyongan Province. This is the first time that this location has been used for a ballistic missile launch. It demonstrates the North’s increasing ability to launch ballistic missilesfrom anywhere in the nation,” 38 North wrote in its analysis report released onthe same day. “It complicates any future missions to eliminate the North’smissile capabilities in wartime, during a military response to some future provocation, or even in some type of preventive strike attempt against missile facilities,” said 38 North.

“The missile defense system designed to shield the United States from an intercontinental ballistic missile — a diverse network of sensors, radars andinterceptor missiles based in Alaska and California — has failed three of itsfive tests. Even the two successful ones were heavily scripted," the U.S.-based political media Politico said.