Kim Jong-un ordered an unprecedented missile launch?

Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper, citing a North Korean defector, said the missile would be equipped with atmospheric re-entry capability - a technology that the country's latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) has not achieved.

The Asahi Shimbun reported earlier this week that leader Kim Jong Un outlined his plans during a meeting in Pyongyang on December 11 and 12.

The rocket, dubbed "Unha-4", will be an upgraded version of the Unha-3 long-range ballistic missile, which was launched in 2012 and 2016 and put North Korea's first satellite into orbit.

"The defector said there appear to be two main purposes for launching a new long-range missile. One is to use a satellite to guide and observe future missile launches," the Asahi Shimbun reported. "The other goal could be to test whether the missile is capable of re-entering the atmosphere by launching a satellite into space."

Kim’s scientists are also working to perfect re-entry capabilities for the upgraded missile. North Korea’s latest ICBM, the Hwasong-15, launched in late November did not “survive” its re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, a US official told Fox News.

The launch of the new giant rocket is expected to take place on September 9, when North Korea celebrates its 70th anniversary. North Korea often conducts testsmissiles and nuclear on important occasions.

The rocket's body has been completed but it will take six months for authorities to prepare for the launch, according to Asahi Shimbun.

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