North Korea says ICBM test could be imminent

A senior North Korean official claims Pyongyang is capable carrying out its first ever test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile “at any time, at any place,” according to a report Wednesday.

Choe Kang II, the deputy director general for North American affairs at North Korea’s foreign ministry, made the assertion during an exclusive interview with NBC News.

While Mr. Choe rejected the suggestion that such a test launch would be provocative, NBC maintained that a successful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch by Pyongyang would be a major step toward North Korea’s goal of targeting the U.S. mainland with a nuclear-armed weapon.

There was no immediate reaction Wednesday from the Trump administration. However, Mr. Trump made aggressive statements on the matter while he was still president-elect. Early this month, he asserted that he simply won’t allow North Korea to develop such a capability.

Mr. Trump made headlines on Jan. 2 with the following tweet: “North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won’t happen.”

North Korea carried out two nuclear warhead tests last year, but has so far not tested an ICBM, although regional experts generally agree that Pyongyang is getting closer to carrying out such a test and to developing nuclear-tipped missiles.

The Obama administration responded to Pyongyang’s nuclear tests last year with a wave of economic sanctions. There have also been significant advancements in the U.S.-South Korea military alliance — most notably with the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system to South Korea, where roughly 30,000 U.S. troops are stationed.