North Korea Improves Missile Program

North Korea now has a missile capable of reaching the US mainland, and it is fueling many questions from American citizens.

North Korea has always taken great pride in its ability to potentially have lethal nuclear missiles, but they never really posed a huge threat to the US mainland. In a recent test, however, North Korea launched a missile 9,300 miles according to ABC News. 

The ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) is what North Korea has been testing most recently. These work exactly how they sound; they are meant to hit continents far away from them, such as North America. 

In one of the recent tests, a missile from North Korea sent Misawa Airbase just off of Japan into a panic and forced them to seek cover.

“This conduct by North Korea most recently is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Resolutions. It destabilizes security in the region and unnecessarily raises tensions,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in a recent statement.

Recent tests have shown they are working on their long-range arsenal more and more. They continue to improve their long-range ballistics, like the Hwasong-15, and newer ones, such as the Hwasong-17, according to BBC News. Both of these can travel approximately 13,000+ kilometers and could pose a threat to the US mainland.

“North Korea has been testing missiles with longer and longer ranges,” Joseph Byrne, who is a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said.

US officials and their allies will continue to show displeasure for the overwhelming amount of missile tests that North Korea is doing, and, hopefully, find a way to ease the tensions.