N. Korea agrees to communicate regularly with U.N. at various levels

2017/12/09

SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) — North Korea has agreed to communicate regularly with the United Nations at various levels, Pyongyang’s state media said Saturday, following a visit by a senior U.N. official.

North Korea said that the visit of Jeffrey Feltman, the undersecretary general for political affairs at the U.N., helped the communist nation and U.N. understand each other deeply, and the two sides agreed to have regular communications at various levels, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Feltman arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday for a four-day visit. He met North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and visited U.N. project sites amid heightened tensions sparked by the North’s Nov. 29 test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile that it claims is capable of striking anywhere on the U.S. mainland.

The KCNA reported that North Korea told U.N. officials that current situation on the Korean Peninsula is due to the United States’ threat and its wish to launch a nuclear attack against North Korea first.

The U.N. officials responded that they will help ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula by following the U.N. Charter, which states the organization’s mission of maintaining international peace and security, the KCNA added.

According to the KCNA, Feltman recognized international sanctions against North Korea are having a negative influence on humanitarian aid there. He visited a children’s food factory and a hospital in Pyongyang on Thursday.

Feltman was expected to leave Pyongyang on a North Korean Air Koryo passenger jet to land in Beijing on Saturday.

Jeffrey Feltman (C), U.N. undersecretary general for political affairs, holds talks with North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-guk in Pyongyang on Dec. 6, 2017, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Yonhap)

Kim Jong Un “Climbs” Mt Paektu, Divine Birthplace of his Father

Background information about the significance of Mount Paektu in north korean lore:

Mount Paetku, Birthplace site, Courtesy DPRK Tourism

Kim Jong Il, father of current North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, was estimated to have been born in 1941 in Russia.

North Korean legend holds that was Kim Jong Il’s birth was of a divine and sacred nature that occurred on Mount Paektu (an active volcano also known as Mount Baekdu) on April 15, 1942. His birth was foretold by the appearance of a swallow. Once born, the seasons changed, a new star was born and a double rainbow appeared over the mountain. Throughout his life, he was able to control the weather with his mood.

Kim Jong Il photo of portrait submitted by Mark Fahey from Sydney, Australia (DSCF3016) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

https://skepticreview.com/2017/10/15/amazing-kims-mythology-cult-personality-north-korea/

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Kim Jong Un Climbs Mt Paektu

Date: 12/9/2017 | Source: KCNA.kp (En) |

Pyongyang, December 9 (KCNA) — Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army, climbed Mt Paektu, the sublime mountain of revolution.

The ancestral mountain Paektu covered with white snow was displaying marvelous scene with glee at the reappearance of its great master.

When Kim Jong Un ascended to the top of it, going through thick snow, it showed fine weather unprecedented in the blizzard of December winter, exposing its majestic figure.

As if to give warm welcome to him who brought the “great November event” of the great Korea and show joy at the appearance of the peerlessly illustrious commander who controls the nature, the heart of the ever-changing Lake Chon on the top of Mt Paektu presented charming scenery showing magic peaks and dazzling sunshine on its clear and blue waves.

Imposingly standing on Janggun Peak, the respected Supreme Leader gave a familiar look for a while at the dizzy cliffs and the sea of trees, recalling the emotion-charged days when he realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force without yielding even a moment and with the indomitable faith and will of Paektu.

He said that he had often climbed Mt Paektu but this is the first time to have in mid-winter such nice weather, rare to be seen even in spring. The weather is so fine that we can see peaks on the shore of Lake Chon more clearly as if they are before our very eyes, he added.

His eyes reflected the strong beams of the gifted great person seeing in the majestic spirit of Mt Paektu the appearance of a powerful socialist nation which dynamically advances full of vigor without vacillation at any raving dirty wind on the planet.

He set forth the important tasks arising in better sprucing up into a center for education in the revolutionary traditions the sacred mountain of Paektu which is associated with the immoral revolutionary careers of the great leaders and serves as the mental mainstay of the invincible DPRK and the source of indomitable ideological strength.

He said that the monument to Mt Paektu and education compound should be spruced up suited to the dignity of the holy mountain of revolution and “Mt Paektu, the holy mountain of revolution”, an autograph of leader Kim Jong Il, should be displayed better heavily and politely to be seen most clearly anytime and anywhere.

He stressed the need to build a new hotel well around the Paektu Station for the convenience of those who visit Mt Paektu as well as convenient facilities for making them have photos taken at several places where a bird’s-eye view of the mountain can be obtained and have rests.

Accompanying him were Choe Ryong Hae, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the C.C., WPK, vice-chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and vice-chairman of the C.C., WPK, Kim Yong Su, department director of the WPK Central Committee, Jo Yong Won, vice department director of the C.C., WPK, Ri Sang Won, chairman of the Ryanggang Provincial Committee of the WPK, Yang Myong Chol, chairman of the Samjiyon County Committee of the WPK, and Ma Won Chun, department director of the State Affairs Commission. -0-

Senior U.N. official to visit North Korea: First time in six years

It would mark the first high-ranking visit by a U.N. official to North Korea since his predecessor Lynn Pascoe traveled to the North in February 2010 and former U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos went there in October 2011.

NEW YORK/SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) — A senior United Nations official will visit North Korea this week for “wide-ranging” discussions, a spokesman said Monday, amid heightened tensions over the regime’s latest missile test.

Jeffrey Feltman, undersecretary general for political affairs, will travel to Pyongyang Tuesday to discuss “issues of mutual interest and concern” with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and others, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. He plans to stay for four days.

“The visit is in response to a longstanding invitation from the authorities in Pyongyang for policy dialogue with the U.N.,” he told reporters, according to multiple news reports. “It will be a wide-ranging discussion.”

Feltman’s visit will come a week after North Korea test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile apparently capable of striking anywhere on the U.S. mainland.

The North declared that it has completed its “state nuclear force” with the latest Hwasong-15 test.

He will meet with North Korean government officials, U.N. officials and the diplomatic corps there, the spokesman said.

This photo, taken by AFP on Dec. 4, 2017, shows Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N. undersecretary general for political affairs, who will visit North Korea this week. (Yonhap)

Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon planned to visit the now-shuttered inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea’s border city of Kaesong in May 2015, but the North abruptly canceled its approval for the trip.

Experts expect that Feltman’s visit may set the tone for Pyongyang to come to the negotiation table.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his willingness to serve as a mediator to resolve the problem of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

South Korea’s unification ministry also voiced hope that Feltman’s trip could help the North change its course.

“We hope that the visit can pave the way for North Korea to come to dialogue,” said a ministry official said, asking not to be named.

Completion of ‘nuke force’ in New Year’s message from Kim Jong Un?

Licorne test 1971, French Polynesia
Photo: The Official CTBTO Photostream

N.K. leader may make official completion of ‘nuke force’ in New Year’s message: Seoul

SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may make the completion of its nuclear program official in his New Year’s message, a Seoul official said Tuesday.

The North announced last week that it has completed its “state nuclear force” with the launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it claims is capable of striking anywhere in the United States.

Kim is likely to declare the achievement in his New Year’s speech, a South Korean unification ministry official said.

“After that, the North may unveil its stance on how to carry out the so-called byongjin policy,” the official said, referring to Kim’s signature dual-track policy of seeking nuclear armament and economic growth in tandem.

Seoul has rejected Pyongyang’s unilateral claim to have completed its nuclear program, saying that there are doubts about the North’s missile capability, including the re-entry and terminal guidance technology.

Experts said that the North is likely to shift its focus to ways to bolster its feeble economy in the face of tougher international sanctions.

The ministry official also said that there is a need to watch how or whether the North would hold a meeting of “Mallima pacesetters.”

Mallima is an imaginary horse that can run extreme distances at a very high speed. The term is used in North Korea to highlight the country’s push to get people to produce results quickly.

North Korea announced in January its plan to hold a conference under the new slogan for self-reliance at the end of this year. The conference would involve top performers who are leading efforts to overcome the country’s economic difficulties. But the North’s media has barely mentioned it.

North Korea: U.S. & S. Korean Puppet Forces’ Projected Aerial Drill Will Be Followed by Merciless Retaliation

U.S. and S. Korean Puppet Forces’ Projected Aerial Drill Will Be Followed by Merciless Retaliation: CPRC Spokesman

Date: 03/12/2017 | Source: KCNA.kp (En) |

Pyongyang, December 3 (KCNA) — A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country of the DPRK (CPRC) released a statement on Sunday in connection with the fact that the U.S. and the south Korean puppet forces are going to launch the largest-ever joint aerial drill to “totally destroy” the DPRK on Dec. 4.

The statement says:

The U.S. and the south Korean puppet forces are asserting that the planned drill will be “the largest-ever one for blowing up 700 odd primary objects of the north including nuclear facilities and missile bases” and that it will serve as “maximum pressure on the north” as it will be an “unheard-of strike action” involving formations of latest fighter jets called “the king of air battle.”

What matters is the fact that the drill simulating an actual war is to be staged at a time when insane President Trump is running wild, terming the DPRK’s ICBM test-fire “action never to be pardonable” and bluffing as if he would do “anything in response,” stunned by the DPRK’s realization of the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force and the cause of building a rocket power.

The projected war rehearsal is just a grave military provocation which will push the already acute situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war.

The situation clearly proves that the U.S. and the south Korean puppet war maniacs are just aggressors and provocateurs breaking peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region and that the DPRK was entirely just when it decided to invariably take the path of simultaneously developing the two fronts in order to bolster up its war deterrent in every way.

Taking this opportunity, the DPRK cannot but remind the aggressors once again of the statement made by the chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK on Sept. 21 that the DPRK would seriously consider the taking of a highest-level hard-line countermeasure in history to cope with the U.S. and its vassal forces’ reckless moves against the state and people of the DPRK and would surely force them to pay dearly for their provocations.

The U.S. and south Korean puppet military warmongers should bear in mind that their escalating provocation and adding to crimes will only invite more terrible retaliation and precipitate their self-destruction.

In response, South Korean media issued the following statement:

S. Korea says allies’ ongoing air drill is defensive in nature

2017/12/04

SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s unification ministry said Monday that a joint air force drill between Seoul and Washington is defensive in nature, rejecting North Korea’s condemnation of the exercise.

A spokesman at North Korea’s foreign ministry on Saturday denounced the exercise as a large-scale nuclear war drill against North Korea. The five-day Vigilant Ace war games kicked off Monday, days after the North fired a long-range missile.

“The air force drill is an annual joint military exercise among the allies of a defensive nature. The government will not comment on every reaction by North Korea,” Baik Tae-hyun, spokesman at the Ministry of Unification, told a press briefing.

The exercise, which involves six U.S. F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets, came as a show of force against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

The North on Wednesday launched a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it claims is capable of striking the entire territory of the U.S., declaring that it has completed its “state nuclear force.”

“The government does not accept the North’s ‘unilateral’ claim to completing its nuclear program. We are making efforts to resolve the North’s nuclear issue peacefully with the international community,” Baik said.

Seoul said Friday that it does not regard North Korea as crossing a “red line” with its latest missile test due to doubts about its technical capabilities including re-entry and terminal guidance technology.

After the North’s tests of two ICBMs in July, President Moon Jae-in said that North Korea would be crossing a red line if it creates a nuclear-tipped ICBM. Crossing that threshold could risk tougher actions from the U.S. including a military one.

This file photo shows Baik Tae-hyun, spokesman at the Ministry of Unification. (Yonhap)

This file photo shows Baik Tae-hyun, spokesman at the Ministry of Unification. (Yonhap)

Door Still Open to North Korean Figure Skaters to Compete in Winter Olympics

Update:

IOC President met with N. Korean Olympic chief in Switzerland: VOA

2017/12/09

SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) — International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has met with North Korea’s Olympic body chief in Switzerland, a U.S. broadcaster said Saturday.

Bach had a meeting with North Korea’s Olympic Committee President Kim Il-guk at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday, according to Voice of America (VOA). VOA was citing an e-mail from the IOC’s public affairs office.

The IOC, however, didn’t elaborate on what the two officials discussed, VOA said, adding that it was a meeting for them to get to know each other after Kim became North Korea’s new Olympic body chief earlier this year.

The meeting came amid speculation that Bach might visit North Korea to discuss the communist nation’s participation in the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, next year.

The South Korean government and the organizers of the PyeongChang Games have been asking the IOC to support North Koreans competing at the Winter Olympics south of the border, which will be held from Feb. 9-25.

The IOC previously said it is willing to cover all costs for North Korean athletes if they participate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

This photo taken by the EPA shows International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach speaking at a press conference after an executive board meeting of the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Dec. 6, 2017. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) — North Korea has missed the deadline to enter its figure skating pairs team for next year’s Winter Olympics in South Korea, a report claimed Friday.

NBC Sports said North Korea’s Olympic committee missed an Oct. 30 deadline to confirm whether it would send its qualified figure skating pairs duo, Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-ik, to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics next February.

Ryom and Kim clinched their Olympic spot at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September.

According to NBC Sports, the International Skating Union (ISU) has not received any word from North Korea.

The non-action casts further uncertainty over the prospect of North Korea competing at a Winter Olympics hosted by South Korea for the first time. North Korea did not participate in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.

In this Associated Press file photo taken Sept. 29, 2017, North Korean pairs figure skaters Ryom Tae-ok (L) and Kim Ju-sik perform their free skating routine during the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. (Yonhap)

But the doors are still open for North Korea. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) may grant select North Korean athletes wild card entries. IOC President Thomas Bach has repeatedly stated that the IOC has invited North Korea to participate in PyeongChang 2018 and that it has offered support if necessary.

North Korea did not compete at the 2014 Sochin Winter Olympics.

Last month, North Korea skipped the final leg of the ISU World Cup Short Track in Seoul, which doubled as the last Olympic qualifying event. North Korea only competed at the first two World Cups, and the Olympic quotas were filled based on the three best performances by skaters out of four World Cups.

The organizing committee for PyeongChang is taking a wait-and-see approach on the North’s participation. An official there said Olympic participation is apparently a sensitive issue in Pyongyang as well.

Hwasong-15 ICBM: An Analysis of North Korea’s Photos by South Korean Experts

2017/11/30

SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) — North Korea released photos of its new long-range ballistic missile Thursday, which features a different warhead shape from the previous version.

The front part of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is round and relatively blunt, while that of the Hwasong-14 ICBM is sharp, according to a photograph published by the Rodong Sinmun, a newspaper of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and monitored online here. It was shown on a transporter erector launcher (TEL) with nine wheels on each side, indicating the new one is longer than the Hwasong-14, which is carried by a 16-wheel TEL.

The newspaper also made public dozens of other photos of the new ICBM launch early Wednesday morning, including those of leader Kim Jong-un giving a “field guidance” at the launch site north of Pyongyang.

He pumped his fist, monitoring flight data on a screen and celebrating the successful launch with his aides. The missile reportedly flew 950 kilometers at an apogee of 4,475 km to splash into the East Sea.

The North announced that it has completed its “nuclear force” and claimed the ICBM is capable of hitting all areas of the United States and delivering a “super-sized heavy” nuclear warhead.

The newspaper used four front pages to hype up the communist nation’s first ballistic missile firing in 2 1/2 months.

Experts said the round warhead tip may reflect the North’s pursuit of a multiple reentry vehicle.

“North Korea seems to have designed the protection cover of the reentry vehicle in consideration of a possible multiple warhead system,” said Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at Korea Aerospace University in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.

He added it appears to have replaced the engine system for the second-stage rocket.

“There’s a possibility that it has a bigger fuel tank and more vernier thrusters,” Chang said. “But it remains unconfirmed whether it’s a solid-fuel engine.”

Shin Jong Woo, a senior analyst at the Korea Defense Security Forum (KODEF) based in Seoul, said the North seems to have used a cluster engine for the first stage of the Hwasong-15 as well.

“The Hwasong-14 type was equipped with one Paektusan rocket engine but the Hwasong-15 appears to have two,” he said.

Pyongyang fired two Hwasong-14 ICBMs in July.

It remains uncertain whether the isolated communist nation has developed a brand-new ICBM in just a few months.

Hwasong-15 Launch Photos Released by North Korea

North Korea Announces Missile was Hwasong-15 ICBM Capable of Striking U.S.

SEOUL, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) — North Korea announced Wednesday that it has successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), claiming that the missile can strike anywhere in the continental United States with a nuclear warhead.

North Korea launched a Hwasong-15 ICBM earlier in the day from an area north of Pyongyang, according to the state-run TV broadcaster in its “important” announcement.

In July, Pyongyang test-fired two Hwasong-14 ICBMs.

The North’s missile flew 960 kilometers to an altitude of around 4,500 km, Seoul’s military said.

“North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced that the country realized great historic cause of completing state nuclear force,” the North’s media said.

Chronology of North Korea’s missile, rocket launches

Photo Courtesy Yonhap News Agency.

2017/11/29

SEOUL, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) — North Korea fired what appears to be a long-range ballistic missile on Wednesday. The following is a chronology of the North’s major missile provocations.

— Aug. 31, 1998: North Korea fires off its first ballistic missile, the Unha-1, also known as the Taepodong-1, from the launch site of Musudan-ri in North Hamgyong Province.

— July 5, 2006: North Korea test-fires an advanced version of the Taepodong-2 missile at the Musudan-ri launch site.

— April 5, 2009: North Korea launches the Unha-2 rocket at the Musudan-ri launch site with the attendance of leader Kim Jong-il and his son, Kim Jong-un.

— April 13, 2012: North Korea fires off a long-range rocket, the Unha-3, from the Dongchang-ri launch site in North Pyongan Province. But the rocket crashes in pieces into the sea shortly after takeoff.

— Dec. 1, 2012: North Korea says it will launch a working satellite, the Kwangmyongsong-3, on the carrier rocket Unha-3, between Dec. 10 and 22.

— Dec. 10, 2012: North Korea extends the rocket launch window until Dec. 29, citing technical problems in the first-stage control engine module.

— Dec. 12, 2012: North Korea launches a long-range rocket from the Dongchang-ri launch site in North Pyongan Province.

— May 8, 2015: North Korea for the first time tests a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), dubbed KN-11. Seoul said that it was more of a test for the ejection rather than firing.

— Nov. 28, 2015: North Korea fires off an SLBM in the East Sea, but Seoul views the test as a failure.

— Dec. 21, 2015: South Korea’s military says North Korea conducted another SLBM test in December, but the test ended in failure. The Washington Free Beacon reported that North Korea succeeded in the underwater test of a KN-11 missile near the eastern port of Sinpo on Dec. 21, citing unidentified U.S. defense officials.

— Feb. 2, 2016: North Korea notifies U.N. agencies of its plan to launch a satellite between Feb. 8 and 25.

— Feb. 6, 2016: North Korea informs the International Maritime Organization of its plan to move up the launch date to Feb. 7-14.

— Feb. 7, 2016: North Korea fires a long-range rocket from the Dongchang-ri launch site at around 9:30 a.m. The North claims it has successfully placed a satellite, named Kwangmyongsong-4, into orbit.

— March 18, 2016: North Korea launches what appears to be two mid-range Rodong ballistic missiles from its western province.

— April 15, 2016: North Korea conducts its first test-launch of an intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile, also known as the BM-25, but the launch ends in failure.

— April 23, 2016: North Korea test-fires an SLBM in the East Sea, which flies only about 30 km

— April 28, 2016: North Korea launches two intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missiles, but the launches end in failure.

— May 31, 2016: North Korea test-fires an intermediate-range Musudan, but the launch ends in failure.

— June 22, 2016: North Korea fires off two intermediate-range Musudan missiles. One missile flies about 400 km, which experts widely view as a success.

— July 9, 2016: North Korea launches an SLBM off its east coast, but Seoul says the missile appears to have exploded at an altitude of some 10 kilometers.

— July 19, 2016: North Korea test-fires two mid-range Rodong missiles and a shorter-range Scud missile.

— Aug. 3, 2016: North Korea fires off two mid-range Rodong ballistic missiles from near the southwestern area. One missile flies about 1,000 km before falling into Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

— Aug. 24, 2016: North Korea test-fires an SLBM in waters off its east coast towards Japan. The missile flies about 500 km, making it the longest flight by such a missile.

— Oct. 15, 2016: North Korea fires off an intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile, but it explodes after launch.

— Oct. 20, 2016: North Korea launches what appears to be an intermediate-range Musudan, but the test ends in failure.

— Feb. 12, 2017: North Korea launches a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, Pukguksong-2, into the East Sea. Experts say the country appears to apply technology used in the SLBM to have developed a new missile.

— March 6, 2017: North Korea fires four ballistic missiles from its the Dongchang-ri launch site toward the East Sea.

— March 22, 2017: North Korea launches a missile from its east coast that is presumed to have failed. The type of the missile is not confirmed.

— April 5, 2017: North Korea fires what appears to be a type of KN-15 intermediate-range ballistic missile.

— May 14, 2017: North Korea fires a new mid-to-long-range ballistic missile, the Hwasong-12, from a northwest site. It flies about 700 km before landing in the East Sea.

— May 21, 2017: North Korea fires the ground-to-ground Pukguksong-2 missile, also known as a KN-15. It flies more than 500 km.

— May 27, 2017: North Korea is presumed to have launched a surface-to-air guided missile, believed to be a KN-06, from the eastern region.

— May 29, 2017: North Korea fires what is presumed to be a Scud-type ballistic missile. It flies about 450 km.

— June 8, 2017: North Korea test-fires multiple surface-to-ship cruise missiles.

— July 4, 2017: North Korea launches a ballistic missile from a northwestern province into waters off its east coast. Pyongyang claims that it successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile and that it reached an altitude of 2,802 kilometers and flew 933 km.

— July 28, 2017: North Korea launches a ballistic missile from the northern province of Jagang into the East Sea.

— Aug. 26, 2017: North Korea fires three short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea.

— Aug. 29, 2017: North Korea launches a ballistic missile over Japan from a region near Pyongyang. It flies more than 2,700 kmat a maximum altitude of around 550 km.

— Sept. 15, 2017: North Korea fires a ballistic missile over Japan from Pyongyang. It reaches as high as some 770 km and flies around 3,700 km. It marked the first missile launch after the U.N. Security Council implemented fresh sanctions over its sixth nuclear test.

— Nov. 29, 2017: North Korea launches what appears to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It flies some 960 km, reaching an apogee of around 4,500 km.