While most experts dismissed the threat as the usual North Korean grandstanding, a handful are taking it more seriously
including the official government defense think-tank institute, speculating that perhaps North Korea’s weapons technology
is vastly more advanced than the evidence suggests.
North Korea in principle has the technology to hit the U.S. mainland with an intercontinental ballistic missile. It is believed to
have developed an ICBM with a maximum range of more than 10,000 km with the help of the Iranian.
Several experts have speculated that this could be used to deliver a so-called electromagnetic pulse bomb.
One way of delivering a destructive electromagnetic pulse could be to detonate a nuclear weapon at high altitude in an effort
to incapacitate all electric systems and electronic devices.
An official with the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses here told a National Assembly hearing that, "North Korea is
capable of using a small nuclear warhead in the form of an EMP bomb." The official added, "If a 20 kiloton of nuclear weapon
explodes 40 to 60 km above the East Sea, all weapons equipped with electronic equipment on the Korean Peninsula
could become incapacitated."
Another fear among some experts is that North Korea may have perfected their mobile ICBM launchers. Their mobility makes
them difficult to detect, and they are highly likely to survive a retaliatory attack since they can scurry off quickly after launching
their weapons.
Last month, North Korea apparently conducted an engine ignition test at its launch facility in Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan
Province, for what appears to be the KN-08 missile.
Military authorities here estimate the KN-08 to be capable of hitting Alaska and Hawaii with a small nuclear warhead 5,000 km
to 6,000 km away, and their reach could be extended if the engine is improved. This effectively put Japan, Taiwan, SE Asia and
India within it arc of fire!