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Is North Korea a threat to the United States?

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    Gordon Chang on what the latest missile test means for US national security

  • Duration 5:36
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This transcript is automatically generated

Welcome back to on the under at foxnews.com.

Live -- just around I think he was 8 PM East Coast time last night North Korea.

Had another of eight series of rocket launches of all the previous ones we've seen have failed in terms of long range rockets.

This time.

They succeeded.

Apparently putting a satellite into all that.

What does that mean it's been condemned worldwide.

It apparently could mean.

According to some US officials that.

North Korea might be able to reach the United States with a -- -- -- tipped.

Rocket at some point in the not too distant future.

Let's -- -- Gordon Chang a battle of this golden of course is one of the leading experts on North Korea and author of the book nuclear showdown.

North Korea takes on the world there is the book by it.

You learn a -- golden.

You were saying that this was surprising in into a surprise in the timing.

And surprisingly successful this time which is a real fear I guess this was a real engineering feat it was done under extremely difficult circumstances within a tight timetable.

They never launched in winter before they didn't have enough time since the failed launch in April to be able to analyze the telemetry and make the fixes they did -- in eight months most people thought it would take at least eighteen to do in -- and so clearly they have stoned everybody and the question is did they do this on the -- they do have the capability to do it on their own.

But also did they have help so where would that help come from.

That's -- probably would have come from China.

China has already sold the north Koreans six transporter erector launchers we saw that in the April 15 military -- in Pyongyang.

And they may have also sold the associated missiles.

We this is not speculation in a sense because China has already sold these same launchers with these missiles to Pakistan.

And so you know when you think about it it's it's possible that they also provided technical assistance to the north Koreans what really know what would the Chinese.

Moved to -- to help the north Koreans get to this kind of capability.

Well they destabilize South Korea days double Japan.

And every time the north Koreans act up we run the Beijing and say please please please I know.

-- and of course they extract concessions from us -- so clearly the Chinese are in the short term at least.

Get a lot of advantages long term this is very detrimental to Chinese policy but Chinese policy makers are not thinking long term they're thinking about the short term advantages.

What does it mean for the United States and what does it mean in terms of North Korea being able to reach.

United states air tribute Hawaii -- California.

Wherever it may be in the -- a long range missile.

Well within a year maybe eighteen months they will be able to put a nuclear warhead it was insomnia.

Because they've got the technology to go up.

They also have the technology to come down the shielding for a warhead.

-- the question is do they actually have the warhead itself China has sold warhead designs.

We know that they've got fissile material plutonium they probably also have enough uranium.

So it's not too difficult -- think that they would be able to do this within a year and of course.

We don't have to hit the United States -- they need clear missile within twelve months or eighteen but clearly.

January 2011 then Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the north Koreans within five years probably sooner he said would be able to do that hit the United States with a missile.

That was two years ago and looks like the north Koreans have accelerated the schedule so this is not a revelation.

This is something that we -- that was it -- it.

-- we knew -- was gonna happen but extraordinary that eight.

Now what has happened as you say this quickly while we've all been watching it and talking about Iran which -- needs to be watched and talked about.

Suddenly North Korea is a is a more immediate threat in terms of its nuclear power.

And Iran is a more -- is it more immediate threat because the north Koreans sell their missiles to the Armenians.

And so you know that if the show -- three is a -- North Korean no Dong.

-- -- five and six is a Taepodong missile of the type that we saw -- fired just a few hours ago.

So you know we can expect a successful three stage missile to be in Armenian hands and must the United States stops it.

How far how do we stop that.

While its third number of things we can do first of all we can put in the sanctions that we -- in 2005.

That cut North Korea off from the global financial system.

They work immediately successful.

And unfortunately we've lifted them at China's past and -- -- put those back on what we need to interdict shipping because we don't want than the -- or anybody else to have this.

And an embargo would not be out of the question and we have the legal right to do -- not under UN Security Council resolutions where we don't have the right but we have the right to do this because the north Koreans have aggregated.

The armistice that went to carry -- Everybody got to do we -- up a bug in the waters off North Korea or in the waters off of -- -- both.

Well that embargo was worldwide and we started -- the borders of Iran and of North Korea just write off their -- all right.

Gordon Chang disturbing.

And fascinating information thank you very much Gordon off course is the author of nuclear showdown North Korea.

Takes a look great to see -- thanks for being here I -- really take another quick break care on the -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Regarding that beauty and no one more showdown.

In Michigan we'll be right back.

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