N Korea says US in our N-missile range

North Korea "successfully" launched a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that can deliver a nuclear warhead in the US, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said on Wednesday

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed his regime’s missile launch showed it can strike the US with a nuclear weapon, signaling a new phase in its stand-off with President Donald Trump. North Korea “successfully” launched a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile with improved technology that can deliver a nuclear warhead anywhere in the US, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday. Kim watched the test and “declared with pride that now we have finally realised the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force,” KCNA said.

Kim’s claims on his nuclear capabilities, yet to be verified independently, suggests that he could look to enter into talks with the US from a position of strength. Trump has threatened to use military force to stop his nuclear program, which Kim says he needs to deter an American invasion. 

Trump struck a more measured tone after the launch compared with previous threats to unleash “fire and fury,” telling reporters that “we will take care of that situation.” The United Nations Security Council, which has imposed stringent sanctions on North Korea this year, plans to discuss the latest test on Wednesday in New York. “North Korea is saying the US should acknowledge it as a nuclear state and shift its policy to dialogue,” said Koh Yu-hwan, who teaches North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul.