The official government newspaper of North Korea boasted on Sunday that Hawaii and Alaska could be possible targets for the nuclear ballistic missile the North Korean government allegedly possesses.
According to NK News, Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper run by the Workers' Party of Korea stated that intercontinental ballistic missile has a range capability up to 6,400 kilometers, which means the missile could travel far enough to hit Hawaii or Alaska.
"Hawaii, where the U.S. Pacific Command is stationed, and Alaska," Rodong Sinmun reported as possible targets in range, according to NK News.
The statement comes nearly three weeks after North Korea successfully launched their Hwasong-14 ICBM into Japanese waters, a move which heightened tensions between North Korea and the United States.
"The United States strongly condemns North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement at the time. "Testing an ICBM represents a new escalation of the threat to the United States, our allies and partners, the region, and the world."
A week later, the United States successfully shot down a simulated incoming ballistic missile similar to the one launched by Pyongyang. It was the first time a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system had been tested against an incoming IRBM, and was expected to be more difficult to hit than shorter-range missiles.
"The successful demonstration of THAAD against an IRBM-range missile threat bolsters the country’s defensive capability against developing missile threats in North Korea and other countries," the Missile Defense Agency said in a statement.
(h/t: Daily Caller)
