US General 'criticizes' North Korean missiles

North Korea does not appear to have the technology to strike the United States with high precision, the vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said on July 18, referring to the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) earlier this month.

Speaking before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Air Force General Paul Selva stated that while North Korea has made recent advances in ICBMs, the July 4 test launch does not demonstrate their ability to guide a missile toward the United States.

North Korea test-fired an ICBM on July 4th. Photo: Rodong Sinmun

"I don't believe the July 4 test proves that they have the capability to strike the United States with any degree of precision," Yonhap quoted Selva as saying.

Regarding the range of North Korean missiles, the general acknowledged that they are capable of reaching the United States and that technological improvements must be closely monitored.

North Korea announced on July 4th that it had successfully test-fired its first ICBM, stating that the Hwasong-14 reached an altitude of 2,802km and traveled 933km in 39 minutes.

"I have confidence in the intelligence community's ability to monitor the launches, not the deployment of these missile systems," Selva asserted. "North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his forces are very good at camouflage, evasion, and trickery."

The U.S. Air Force general also assured lawmakers that the U.S. has a range of programs demonstrating the military's and civilian intelligence community's ability to monitor North Korean activities. However, he declined to elaborate due to the sensitivity of the issue.

According to Vietnamnet