Asia-Pacific
Countries North Korea Can Currently Hit With Their Missiles
According to experts, the missile test North Korea launched on the morning of May 14, had considerably longer range than prior attempts. Some scientists suggest that it may have been the new mobile missile seen in North Korea’s April 15, 2017, parade.
Reports from Japan state that the missile fell into the Sea of Japan after traveling for about 30 minutes, at a range of 700 km (430 miles), and an altitude of 2,000 km (1,250 miles).
Based on the range and altitude of the missile, as well as the 30-minute flight time, some scientists estimate that if that same missile were fired on a standard trajectory, instead of the lofted trajectory North Korea tests, it would have a maximum range of about 4,500 km (2,800 miles).
North Korea has the ability to fire a rocket more than 10,000 km (6,200 miles) and reach the U.S. west coast, South Korean officials have said.
Should Kim Jong-un decide to target its neighbors in the South Korean capital of Seoul (312 km), they would have zero to six minutes, from the moment the missile is launched until the time it reaches its target, to seek safety.
And the citizens of Tokyo (1,184 km) would have between 10-11 minutes before a missile reached them.
If fired on a standard trajectory, the missile could also reach the Russian border (2,790 km), Moscow (6,400 km), Guam (3,400 km), Alaska (5,717 km), and Hawaii (7,000 km).
Kathleen Troia "K.T." McFarland the then deputy White House national security adviser and current nominee to become ambassador to Singapore remarked: “There is a real possibility that North Korea will be able to hit the U.S. with a nuclear-armed missile by the end of the first Trump term.”
Should North Korea ever have the capacity to launch a nuclear missile that could reach the U.S. mainland, Trump would have approximately ten minutes to react and make a decision to counterattack.
Experts estimate that a missile launched from North Korea could hit West Coast cities such as Seattle (8,055 km) and Los Angeles (9,343 km) in under 30 minutes and San Francisco (8,786 km) in 33 to 34 minutes. Reaching the US West Coast would require a missile with a range of about 8,000 km.
People in New York and Washington D.C. would have less than 40 minutes to prepare before being hit if North Korea is able to improve its range. New York and Washington, are both less than 11,000 km away.
A partial list of other countries and their distance to North Korea in kilometers:
Afghanistan: 5,245 km
Australia: 7,320 km
Bhutan: 3,670 km
Bangladesh: 3,920 km
Brunei: 4,179 km
Cambodia: 3,789 km
China: 2,092 km
Egypt: 8,637 km
Ethiopia: 9,094 km
France: 8,960 km
Germany: 8,149 km
Greecs: 8,405 km
Hong Kong: 2,358 km
India: 5,064 km
Indonesia: 4,773 km
Iran: 6,472 km
Israel: 8,038 km
Italy: 8767 km
Kazakhstan: 4,776 km
Krgyzstan: 4,370 km
Laos: 3,289 km
Macao: 2,406 km
Malaysia: 4,759 km
Manila: 2,930 km
Mongolia: 2,208 km
Myanmar: 3,602 km
Nepal: 4,149 km
Northern Marina Islands: 3,311 km
Oman: 6,946 km
Pakistan: 5,291 km
Palau: 3,715 km
Philippines: 3,102 km
Russia: 2,790 km
Saudi Arabia: 7,698 km
Somalia: 8,895 km
Syria: 7,480 km
Taiwan: 1,948 km
Tajikistan: 4,735 km
Thailand 3,732 km
Turkey: 7,495 km
UK: 8,400 km
Vietnam: 3,467 km
Yemen: 7,969 km
