EXPLAINER: What made North Korea test giant new ICBM?

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In firing a massive intercontinental ballistic missile high into space, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has turned back the clock to the “fire and fury” days of 2017. He has revived a nuclear brinkmanship aimed at pressuring the United States to accept his country as a nuclear power and remove crippling sanctions. Thursday’s launch of Hwasong-17 marked North Korea’s most provocative weapons demonstration since President Joe Biden took office. It shows North Korea is building its military capabilities while diplomacy remains frozen and the U.S. distracted with the war in Ukraine. The launch is worrying because the missile could be armed with nuclear bombs that can threaten Washington, New York and much of the rest of the world.