North Korea and missiles: how soon they could hit US cities

A missile launched by North Korea would be capable of hitting a city in the central United States, if the American air defense were not to intercept it, in about 33 minutes. The South China Morning Post reports it today. The research, conducted by the Beijing Institute of Electronic Systems Engineering under the leadership of Tang Yuyan and then published in the Chinese-language journal "Modern Defense Technology", simulated a launch of a long-range ballistic intercontinental missile (ICBM). Hwasong-15, which entered into force in 2017 to the missile units of Pyongyang and with an effective range of 13 thousand kilometers "enough to hit any point in the United States", according to Tang. In recent days, the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un had ordered the army to intensify exercises for a "real war". The state media reported, as the leader supervised an assault drill with his daughter in tow. The photographs showed Kim and his daughter, both wearing black jackets, accompanied by uniformed officers as they watched an artillery unit fire. a barrage of missiles. The South Korean military later said it had detected the launch of a ballistic missile and had analyzed the possibility of multiple launches from the same location. Photos released by the official Central Korean News Agency (KCNA) showed at least six missiles being fired simultaneously by the Hwasong unit, which is said to be trained for "strike missions".