(Business Insider) When North Korea shot off its first-ever intercontinental ballistic missile in the early morning hours of July 4, US military and intelligence personnel watched leader Kim Jong Un smoke cigarettes and stroll around the launchpad for a full 70 minutes, a source told The Diplomat’s Ankit Panda.
The US knew North Korea was in the final stages of building an ICBM after a recent rocket engine test. The US knew North Korea liked to test missiles on Independence Day to send a message. The US knew this missile was different than any they had seen before, and the US knew it could destroy it with a variety of percision-fire platforms in the region. Importantly, the US had Kim Jong Un in their crosshairs for over and hour, and they did nothing.
Those facts speaks volumes about the security climate in the Koreas.
