North Korea said on Tuesday it successfully test-launched a first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which analysts said could put all of the U.S. state of Alaska in range for the first time, Reuters reported. U.S. networks Fox News and NBC said U.S. officials had told them they believed Tuesday's test was of an ICBM, marking a worrying milestone in Pyongyang's missile development. CNN quoted officials as saying it was probably a two-stage ICBM. The launch, on the eve of U.S. Independence Day, took place days before leaders from the Group of 20 nations were due to discuss steps to rein in North Korea's weapons program, which it has pursued in defiance of United Nations Security Council sanctions. North Korea's state media said the launch was ordered and supervised by leader Kim Jong Un and sent the Hwasong-14 933 km (580 miles) reaching an altitude of 2,802 km (1,741 miles) over a flight time of 39 minutes. North Korea has said it is working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland, something U.S. President Donald Trump vowed in January would never happen.
