WASHINGTON (Kyodo) North Korea is preparing to deploy a new intermediate ballistic missile capable of "easily" reaching Okinawa, Guam and "probably" Alaska, the commander of U.S. forces in South Korea said Tuesday.
North Korea already has over 600 Scud missiles that can deliver conventional or chemical munitions throughout the Korean Peninsula, and as many as 200 Rodong ballistic missiles with a medium range of 1,300 km capable of reaching Japan with the same payloads, Gen. Burwell Bell said in written testimony for the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Bell said Pyongyang continues to develop a three-stage Taepodong missile, noting that it "could be operational within the next decade" in providing North Korea with the capability to directly target the continental United States.