North Korea fires ballistic missile as US marks Independence Day

Beijing

NORTH Korea on Tuesday claimed it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a potential milestone in its campaign to develop a nuclear-tipped weapon capable of hitting the mainland United States.

In a special announcement on state television, North Korea said it launched a Hwasong-14 missile that flew about 932 km, reaching an altitude of 2,802 km.

South Korean and Japanese authorities are now looking into whet…