North Korea fired a second missile over Japan on Friday, and while it didn’t threaten Guam, the regime showed it has the capacity to hit the U.S. island territory.
Reports said the missile was in the air for nearly 20 minutes, and traveled 2,300 miles. Guam is about 2,100 miles away from North Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has named Guam as a target before, and experts said Kim has shown that it has the technology to get a missile there.
“The range of this test was significant since North Korea demonstrated that it could reach Guam with this missile, although the payload the missile was carrying is not known,” the Union of Concerned Scientists said. “Guam lies 3,400 km from North Korea, and Pyongyang has talked about it as a target because of the presence of US forces at Andersen Air Force Base.”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson responded to North Korea’s latest provocation by saying countries should consider new sanctions against the country, beyond the United Nations sanctions agreed this week.
“United Nations Security Council resolutions, including the most recent unanimous sanctions resolution, represent the floor, not the ceiling, of the actions we should take,” he said. “We call on all nations to take new measures against the Kim regime.”
