Kim Jong-un Mocks US After Secretary of State Confirms ICBM Test
Talking smack to someone like President Trump may not be wisest thing for Kim Jong-un to be doing:
The show of force came as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed that North Korea had launched an ICBM on Tuesday, reversing an initial U.S. assessment that it was an intermediate-range missile.
He also said the U.S. would push for tougher sanctions by the U.N. Security Council, which planned an emergency meeting later Wednesday to discuss the latest provocation.
“Testing an ICBM represents a new escalation of the threat to the United States, our allies and partners, the region and the world,” Tillerson said in a statement. “Global action is required to stop a global threat.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, meanwhile, reportedly called the ICBM test an Independence Day “gift” for the Americans and promised to send more “big and small gift packages often in the future so they don’t get bored.” [Stars & Stripes]
Kim Jong-un better hope that President Trump doesn’t send him some big and small gift packages in return.
Even though the US is calling this an ICBM test its maximum range of possibly 5,500 kilometers barely makes it an ICBM and analysis has not determined if the reentry technology worked or not:
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense followed up on Tillerson’s statement hours later, announcing Wednesday that the missile was a “new type” of ICBM, apparently a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), also known as a KN-17, modified into a two-stage projectile.
An IRBM class missile has the capacity to fly between 3,000 and 5,500 kilometers (1,864 to 3,418 miles), shorter than an ICBM’s capacity of more than 5,500 kilometers.
But the ministry fell short of saying whether North Korea’s ICBM launch was successful, saying it was hard to confirm yet. Analysis of whether Pyongyang has perfected re-entry technology, a core part of a long-range missile that’s been considered the last hurdle for North Korea’s ICBM development, was still ongoing, according to Defense Minister Han Min-koo, who briefed lawmakers on the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee Wednesday. Han said the Hwasong-14, North Korea’s name for its ICBM, qualified to be an ICBM when considering its travel distance, but that the maximum speed was way below the threshold of Mach 20. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
At its maximum range the KN-17 puts Guam and parts of Alaska at risk. This is clearly significant progress, but the Kim regime has not perfected ICBM technology that can reliably strike the US mainland, yet. At this point it seems like it is only a matter of time if the US and the ROK allow the Kim regime to have that time.
We’ll see. Trump might already have infiltrated Kim’s palace guards…
I did not know kim Jong Un had a sense of humour, the statement he made reportedly called the ICBM test an “Independence Day “gift” for the Americans and promised to send more “big and small gift packages often in the future so they don’t get bored.” putting all jokes aside, that is really funny and ominous at the same time. Wow! how wicked.
I really don’t understand why he keep threatening America and don’t understand why America keep asking him to stop his nuke program. At least he could do his nuke program in secret without a lot of fanfare. I guess he must have good excuses why he is doing that. If there is any body that need taking out, it’s is this guy. Saddam Hussein and Colonel Gaddafi Got taken out for a lot lot lot less. This guy and his regime must have a guardian angel, because they just keep on ticking just like a nuclear battery.
Do you have to pay for a membership it keep getting fouled up when i tried to register. no email confirmation.
Think he’ll pop off that nuke he’s got buried up in Punggye-ri? He’s still tap dancing right on the line. An ICBM needs to fly more than 5,500km, did this one make it, or hit the water at 5,499km?
Fatty Kim is all about being “just a little bit pregnant.”
The ones you have to watch in all of this is the South Korean military and government, All through Korean history Korea has been conquered, you had a few who put up a good fight like ADM. YI SUIN YEN .
The GOVERNMENT and the populist are all filled with North Korean sympathizer and South Korean haters. if the boom goes up you probably would get a division size enemy force that is entrenched with in the cities throughout Korea and japan for the last sixty something years. These forces will have to be reckoned with, alone with so call civilian hostile paramilitary force that would be popping out of the walls, Just causing pure hell for the good guys to contend with; friend or foe, fight flight.
I don’t trust South Korea government one bit. Reason is the government is plagued with systemic corruption. You would think that the government would have the foresight to pay their military a decent wage for a career minded individual.
Most military personnel leave the military when their time is up at humming bird speed, because there is no incentive for them to make a career out of the military unless they are super desperate.
ROKG are still saying “national duty to sever” but people have family and need to eat and live, should stop trying to use people on the cheap.
Be like America and give them a decent wage, after their mandatory service.and that way could keep a lot of season military at the ready instead of having a brand new military every two and haft years with men that are soft hip-hop generations, only things they care about is skinny jeans, music and makeup. I am talking about the men, yes makeup. Japan is a whole different beast, ways superior to korean in mind, body and soul nationalist views and values.
South Korean government and military is rife with spies and traitors…
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China is the very reason and only reason North Korea is going at the speed of light in developing their nuke program, there is no doubt in my mind,
@knife Aquelee, there is no payment for membership. That is really weird the membership registration is not working for you. I will research it and get back to you.