Kim Jong Un oversaw the successful launch of a new, larger intercontinental ballistic missile, in an explosive confirmation of his continued nuclear weapons development over the past four years despite international sanctions and failed talks with the U.S.
The missile fired from a mobile launcher at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport was a Hwasong-17, according to dispatches and photographs published Friday by the official Korean Central News Agency. Kim toured the launch site and shouted “Fire!” before the rocket flew to an altitude of 6,200 kilometers (3,900 miles) and fell 1,090 kilometers away in waters off Japan, KCNA said.
