North Korea is warning that its rockets are capable of striking the continental United States, two days after Seoul said it signed a deal with Washington to allow South Korea to extend the range of its ballistic missiles.
A spokesperson for the North's National Defense Commission said in state media Tuesday Pyongyang has "strategic rocket forces" that can hit not only the mainland U.S., but also American military bases in South Korea, Japan and Guam.
North Korea is believed to be developing intercontinental ballistic missiles, but they have not been tested successfully. While Pyongyang does have the capability to strike South Korea and other nearby countries, experts say it could not strike the U.S. mainland.
It is Pyongyang's first public reaction to the deal announced Sunday in Seoul between the U.S. and South Korea, which nearly tripled the range of Seoul's missile system to protect against a possible attack from the nuclear-armed North.