ALARMING

North Korea Says It's Close to Testing Long-Range Missiles

In New Year's Day speech.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un began the new year on Sunday by announcing that the country is nearing the testing phase for its long-range missiles. “Research and development of cutting edge arms equipment is actively progressing and ICBM rocket test launch preparation is in its last stage,” Kim said in a televised New Year’s Day greeting. The country frequently tested its ballistic missiles in 2016, to the alarm of the West, but most experts have maintained that it’s a long way away from successfully using long-range missiles capable of hitting the U.S. A successful test of an ICBM would be a leap forward for Pyongyang’s controversial weapons program, which has been a thorn in the side of North Korea’s relations with the West since 2006, when the U.N. imposed sanctions over missile testing. Kim’s announcement comes after reports that President-elect Donald Trump took a special interest in North Korea’s nuclear program, with his only request for a classified intelligence briefing focusing on the subject.