North Korea Expert: Time to be Worried about Long-Range Missile

Tensions with North Korea mounted over Independence Day as the country announced that it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), according to CNN.com.

The Washington Examiner reports that if North Korea’s claims are true, the ICBM would be capable of striking Alaska.

The impending threat caused Jean Lee, a global fellow at the Wilson Center, a Washington think tank, to warn that world leaders need to take action.

"We should be worried: Every test gets the North Koreans closer to mastering the technology for mounting a nuclear weapon on a ballistic missile powerful enough to strike the United States and its allies," said Lee.

Lee went on to say that North Korea’s development and test of this dangerous weapon just days after a summit between President Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in is an intentional act of defiance.

"Test-firing a ballistic missile just days after the Trump-Moon summit, where the two leaders discussed tightening sanctions against North Korea, is Pyongyang's way of sending a message of defiance to the US and South Korean leaders.”

Following North Korea’s announcement of the ICBM test, President Trump called for an emergency meeting to address the situation. According to the Daily Mail, the President called for a “measured response” and urged China’s government to take action.

Photo: In this handout photo released by the United States Forces Korea, South Korea's Hyunmu-2 Missile System (L) firing a tactical ballistic missile during a U.S. and South Korea joint missile drill aimed to counter North Korea¡¯s intercontinental ballistic missile test on July 5, 2017 in East Coast, South Korea. The U.S. Army and South Korean military responded to North Korea's missile launch with a combined ballistic missile exercise on Wednesday, into South Korean waters along the country's eastern coastline. 

Photo courtesy: United States Forces Korea via Getty Images

Publication date: July 5, 2017