South Korea says the North does not have re-entry capability for its missiles
Seoul — South Korea has disputed North Korea’s claim to have an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can strike the US mainland, saying Kim Jong-un’s regime may not yet have re-entry capability for such projectiles. The re-entry feature of North Korea’s missile programme is not established, said Yi Wan-young, a South Korean lawmaker who was briefed by National Intelligence Service chief, Suh Hoon, on Tuesday in a closed-door session for lawmakers. Re-entry capability is critical for intermediate-range missiles and ICBMs. A nuclear warhead needs to be housed in a vehicle that can survive the heat of returning to the Earth’s atmosphere, Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Non-Proliferation Programme at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, wrote on the 38 North website. In touting last week’s launch, North Korea’s state media said the missile it tested could carry a new, large nuclear warhead and had been tested for re-entry. Kim is "firmly de...
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