DPRK 'making progress' on ballistic missile - US

A missile is carried by a military vehicle during a parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War (1950-1953) Armistice Agreement in Pyongyang July 27, 2013. [Photo/icpress]

WASHINGTON — The chief of US forces in the Pacific says he's planning for the possibility that the?Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has an intercontinental ballistic missile that can hit America although it's unclear if they really do.

Adm. Samuel Locklear told reporters Tuesday that the DPRK wants the world to believe that it has such a capability, so he's bound to take that threat seriously.

Over the past 18 months, the DPRK has conducted a nuclear test, launched a long-range rocket into space and displayed at a military parade its road mobile KN-08 missile.

If operable, the KN-08 could potentially hit the US. But some experts say the missiles on show were mock-ups.

Locklear said whether they are real or not, he's planning for that contingency, to protect the US and the region.

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