TOKYO -- A global threat that was anticipated for decades has become all too real for the U.S. and its East Asian allies: North Korea has tested an intercontinental ballistic missile believed to be able to deliver a nuclear warhead to much of the world.
The breakthrough came on Thursday when much of the world's attention was focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. North Korea launched a missile that was the achievement of a 30-year effort to extend the range of its weapons by a factor of 30.