North Korea claims latest missile can strike U.S. mainland

North Korea on Wednesday said the intercontinental ballistic missile it launched a day earlier could strike anywhere on the United States mainland, increasing concerns among global leaders about the rogue nation’s nuclear ambitions. Hours after the launch, North Korea officials said in a televised statement the Hwasong-15 is “significantly more” powerful than the long-range weapons it previously tested. According to the statement, leader Kim Jong Un said the country has finally realized its goal of becoming a “rocket power.” North Korea claims the missile reached an altitude of 2,780 miles and flew 600 miles from its launch site outside the capital city of Pyongyang before landing in the Sea of Japan. South Korea later fired three of its own missiles in a show of force. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and all three leaders reaffirmed their commitment to respond to North Korea’s threat. In a Wednesday Twitter post, Trump also said he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about North Korea’s actions. “Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today,” he tweeted.