North Korea conducts engine test for missile capable of reaching U.S. mainland

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed a test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, and called it a significant development boosting his country's strategic military arsenal, state media reported Sunday. North Korea's report on the latest test could be "bluffing" as it didn't disclose some key information like the engine's total combustion time, said Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute. When North Korea reported about the previous engine test in September, it described it as the ninth and final ground test of a solid-fuel engine that it earlier said would be used for intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Author: Hyung-Jin Kim, Associated Press

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