WORLD IN DEPTH

Why the US might not withstand a nuclear attack by North Korea

Experts say the superpower’s interceptors could be overwhelmed if Kim Jong-un launched a mass strike with Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missiles

Unlike his predecessor, President Biden has shown little interest in pursuing a charm offensive with Kim Jong-un. The North Korean leader ordered his latest missile test to coincide with a meeting between President Yoon of South Korea, left, and Fumio Kishida, the Japanese prime minister, second from right
Unlike his predecessor, President Biden has shown little interest in pursuing a charm offensive with Kim Jong-un. The North Korean leader ordered his latest missile test to coincide with a meeting between President Yoon of South Korea, left, and Fumio Kishida, the Japanese prime minister, second from right
Michael Evans
The Times

Hours before a meeting of the leaders of South Korea and Japan in Tokyo today, North Korea launched a 70-minute test flight of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Timed to provoke as President Yoon of South Korea met Fumio Kishida, the Japanese prime minister, the missile, capable of reaching the United States, flew for about 620 miles (1,000km) and fell into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan.

Last month, rumbling through Sung Square in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, under the watchful eye of the country’s leader Kim Jong-un, 11 monster Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) raised the first doubts about the US’s capacity to withstand a nuclear strike by North Korea.

Kim Jong-un paraded his 11 giant missiles through Pyongyang last month, although there was speculation that some may have been dummies
Kim Jong-un paraded his 11 giant missiles through Pyongyang last month, although there was speculation that some may have been dummies
REUTERS

Each Hwasong-17 is potentially capable of carrying multiple warheads, posing a great