Why North Korea Won't Have Its ICBM Anytime Soon ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- 38 North / John Schilling)
North Korean KN-08 Missile ( Credits- Internet Image) Source- The Diplomat Author- 38 North / John Schilling This article was first published at 38 North , a blog of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins SAIS. It is republished with kind permission. The past year might seem to have been one of conspicuous inactivity in North Korea’s long-range rocket program. The last flight test was the December 2012 launch of an Unha-3 carrying North Korea’s first successful satellite. Since then we have seen only the usual Scuds and Nodongs and possibly an improved variant of the short-range, solid-fueled KN-02 “Toksa.” The Musudan and KN-08 missiles so proudly displayed in July 2013 have not been seen since, and neither has been flight tested. In short, one might be tempted to conclude that the regime has given up its pursuit of long-range weapons. But conspicuous inactivity can mask quiet activity, visible mainly to the sort of people who spend their hours scrutinizing satel