N Korea tests rocket with ability to hit US

The engine’s ground test, if true, would be a big step forward for the North’s nuclear weapons programme, which saw its fourth atomic test earlier this year. But the North may still need a good deal of work before it can hit the US mainland with nuclear missiles. 

South Korean officials say North Korea doesn’t yet have a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile, let alone the ability to arm it with a nuclear warhead. 

The test, announced by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, is only the latest in a string of what Washington and its allies consider North Korean provocation. 

It was the North’s first medium-range missile launch since early 2014. 

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner called on North Korea to “refrain from actions and rhetoric that further destabilize the region and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its commitments.”