OPINION:
The regime of Kim Jong-un conducted its second successful missile test recently after several failures on the launch pad or immediately after launch. North Korea now says it is ready to mass produce the Pukguksong-2 intermediate-range missile and boasts it can now target the U.S. mainland with a projectile large enough to carry a nuclear warhead.
North Korea said that launch tested the capability to carry a “large-size heavy nuclear warhead” and put the U.S. mainland within “sighting range,” reported Reuters on the North’s assertions.
“Saying with pride that the missile’s rate of hits is very accurate and Pukguksong-2 is a successful strategic weapon, he (Kim) approved the deployment of this weapon system for action,” KCNA, the North Korean state news agency declared.
“Now that its tactical and technical data met the requirements of the Party, this type of missile should be rapidly mass-produced in a serial way … he said.”
“Supreme leader Kim Jong Un said it feels grand to look at the Earth from the rocket we launched and the entire world looks so beautiful,” KCNA said, referring to a camera that was supposedly mounted inside the warhead of the missile.
“Entering mass production this early in the development phase is risky, but perhaps a risk North Korea feels comfortable managing,” said Michael Elleman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, reported Reuters.
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