US says N Korea long-range missile test ‘new escalation of threat’

America : The US has confirmed that North Korea tested a long-range missile which some experts believe could reach Alaska.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called it a “new escalation of the threat” to the US and the world and warned that Washington “will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea”.

Pyongyang claimed on Tuesday to have successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

In response the US and South Korea fired missiles in the South’s waters.

The combined military exercise was designed to show their “precision fire capability”, the Pentagon said.

Though Tuesday’s test appeared to be a significant development, experts believe that North Korea does not yet have long-range nuclear weapon capabilities.