PAThere are fears that North Korea may have dark plans to mark the anniversary of their former leader Kim Jong-il’s death.
Citizens across the nation are today paying tribute to Kim Jong-il who was the ruthless leader of the country from 1994 to 2011.
Following his death from a heart attack, leadership passed to his nuclear obsessed son Kim Jong-un who has led the country into a war of words with the rest of the planet that is likely to cause World War 3.
GettyThousands of North Koreans could be seen bowing simultaneously to the statue of Jong-il who is seen as being a demigod in the state.
They also laid flowers before the large bronze figure while military officials saluted the statue that sits on Mansu Hill in the heart of Pyongyang.
Since North Korea has previously celebrated key anniversaries with displays of their military power, experts are now concerned that today’s celebrations could be used as an excuse to launch another missile.
GettyOn the anniversary of the founding of the state last year tthe country celebrated with an underground nuclear test saying it was building protection against ‘threats and sanctions’.
And with things heating up recently between America and North Korea, World War 3 is practically a bomb waiting to go off.
Due to the important anniversary, could today be that day? Well I wouldn’t put anything past trigger-happy Jong-un.
PAHaving carried out a series of missile tests this year, North Korea have had a busy 2017 and are looking to take things to a whole new level next year.
Testing a series of missiles, the nation’s latest effort, the Hwasong-15, was visible to passenger planes as it flew an incredible 4,475km (2,780 miles) into space.
During its 53 minute flight it flew 950km and scarily, based on this information, it could have a range of more than 13,000km which means it could reach Washington DC.
PARealising that his missiles can hit the altitude required but distance still needs work, especially if he wants to prove that he can reach the US, it is expected that Jong-un will now concentrate on horizontal flight rather than vertical.
Asia-Pacific expert Evan Medeiros told The Daily Star:
I think the holy grail for him is really having a fully operational, nuclear-capable ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile] that can range the United States.
I don’t think he has that capability and can convince others that he credibly has that capability until he does a full horizontal test.
The tests they’ve been doing to date have been what’s called lofted trajectory. You shoot it up really, really high on a vertical trajectory and have it come down.
And you can test what the full trajectory would be without actually flying a parabola — and I think they’re going to need to demonstrate that.
It has also been predicted that the dictator will look at increasing the amount of warheads his missiles can carry.
Of course these are all guesses and with North Korea being so unpredictable, no-one really knows what is going to happen next.
