North Korea fires longest range missile, puts US in striking range; take a look

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North Korea said it had successfully tested a powerful new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that put all of the US mainland within range, declaring it had achieved its long-held goal of becoming a nuclear power. Wednesday's missile test, North Korea's first since mid-September, came a week after US President Donald Trump put North Korea back on a US list of countries it says support terrorism, allowing it to impose more sanctions. North Korea has conducted dozens of ballistic missile tests under its leader, Kim Jong Un, in defiance of international sanctions. In September, it conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test. (AP Photo)

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North Korea said the new powerful missile reached an altitude of around 4,475 km (2,780 miles) – more than 10 times the height of the international space station – and flew 950 km (600 miles) during its 53 minute flight. (AP Photo)

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The new Hwasong-15, named after the planet Mars, was a more advanced version of the Hwasong-14 ICBM tested twice in July, North Korea said. (APPhoto)

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It was designed to carry a "super-large heavy warhead" and had much greater advantages in its tactical and technological specifications than its predecessor. (AP Photo)

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The ICBM Hwasong-15 type weaponry system is an intercontinental ballistic rocket tipped with super-large heavy warhead which is capable of striking the whole mainland of the US. (AP Photo)

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Kim Jong Un declared with pride that now we have finally realised the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power. (AP Photo)

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It was the first missile test of any kind since September 15, and quashed speculation that the North may have held back in order to open the door to a negotiated solution to the nuclear standoff. (AP Photo)

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Tensions over the North's weapons programme peaked after Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test in September and then fired an intermediate-range missile over Japan. (AP Photo)

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David Wright, an arms control expert and co-director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the flight parameters pointed to a missile with "more than enough range to reach Washington DC, and in fact any part of the continental United States". (Reuters Photo)

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At least one Western expert said the missile's lofted trajectory suggested an actual range of 13,000 kilometres –enough to hit every major US city. (AP Photo)

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Trump, who was briefed on the missile while it was in flight, said it did not change his administration's approach to North Korea, which has included new curbs to hurt trade between China and North Korea. (AP Photo)

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North Korea described itself as a "responsible nuclear power", saying its strategic weapons were developed to defend itself from "the US imperialists' nuclear blackmail policy and nuclear threat". (AP Photo)

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Based on its trajectory and distance, the missile would have a range of more than 13,000 km (8,100 miles) – more than enough to reach Washington D.C., the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists said. (AP Photo)

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Many nuclear experts say the North has yet to prove it has mastered all technical hurdles including the ability deliver a nuclear warhead reliably atop an ICBM, but likely soon will. (AP Photo)

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US, Japanese and South Korean officials all agreed the missile, which landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone, was likely an ICBM. It did not pose a threat to the United States, its territories or allies, the Pentagon said. (Reuters Photo)