#North Korea could soon unveil missile able to reach US, officials warn

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People watch a television broadcast reporting an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
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North Korea may be preparing to unveil a new “harder to detect” long-range missile capable of reaching America, US government officials warned.

The public display of the solid-fueled intercontinental-range ballistic missile could come at the Oct. 10 military parade for the 75th-anniversary celebration of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the officials told The National Interest.

“That seems to be the most likely of scenarios based on their history — and it’s what we are expecting, but, of course, we are hoping to be proven wrong,” a senior White House official told the magazine.

“As we have stated on numerous occasions, we strongly encourage North Korea to return to the path of dialogue and negotiation and refrain from all provocations. If they are looking for regime security, that is the only way they can ensure such a goal.”

North Korea currently uses liquid-based fuel missiles, which take a longer time to prepare and can’t be left in a ready-to-launch state because of the combustibility of the chemicals, according to The National Interest.

Solid-fuel missiles, however, can be left in a fueled state, meaning they can be launched much more quickly. The magazine noted that those projectiles would be “harder to detect and destroy in a military conflict.”

North Korea has gone several months since its last missile test and nearly three years since testing an ICBM or nuclear weapon.

The unveiling of a new rocket right before the US presidential election in November could be a show of strength to the winning candidate, the magazine said.