STRIKE ONE

North Korea’s missile tech advances mean we’ve already passed the point where the U.S. could easily launch preemptive strikes. Pyongyang may even have a first-strike capability.

Sascha Brodsky

Published May. 29, 2023 5:12PM ET

https://www.thedailybeast.com/it-may-be-too-late-for-the-us-to-stop-north-korean-nuclear-attacks?fbclid=IwAR2lrlFhjT2sCwxNfmBu45RFUpAA1BlLCYNnYlKvYCVaanuwBgMiiTtacyk 

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North Korea’s latest missile advancesmean it is now much harder for the U.S. to preventKim Jong Unfrom launchingnuclear weapons.

Pentagon insiders and North Korea watchers on Capitol Hill say Kim’s ability to deploy solid-fuel rockets—if proven—would complicateAmerican effortsto launch preemptive strikes and that the Hermit Kingdom has entered a new phase of nuclear power.

The Northrecently claimedthat it flight-tested a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time. The new missiles would be a breakthrough in the country’s efforts to build a harder-to-detect weapon that threatens the continental United States.

The new solid fuel technology could be an attempt by North Korea…