SOUTH KOREA, Nov 29: After 2 ½ months of relative peace, North Korea launched its most powerful weapon yet early Wednesday, claiming a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that some observers believe could put Washington and the entire eastern U.S. seaboard within range.

The United States could use its Ground-based Midcourse Defence (GMD) system – designed to intercept incoming warheads in space – if threatened by a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). South Korea is expecting North Korea to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile on September 9, according to the country’s Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon.

SEOUL, August 1: North Korea after decades of effort has a missile potentially capable of reaching the continental United States, but analysts say Pyongyang has yet to show the ICBM can inflict serious damage once it gets there.

PYONGYANG, July 29: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Saturday the second flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile demonstrated his country can hit the U.S. mainland, hours after the launch left analysts concluding that a wide swath of the United States, including Los Angeles and Chicago, is now in range of North Korean weapons.

North Korea said on Wednesday its newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) can carry a large nuclear warhead, triggering a call by Washington for global action to hold it accountable for pursuing nuclear weapons.