Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said that depending on the weight of a potential warhead, the missile had a range exceeding 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles), “in which case it could cover the entire mainland United States.” Kwon Yong Soo, a former professor at Korea National Defense University in South Korea, said he believes North Korea tested a developmental Hwasong-17 missile, which he said can carry three to five nuclear warheads and fly as far as 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles).Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at Korea Aerospace University in South Korea, said North Korea has shown that its missiles have ICBM-class flight ranges but has yet to publicly prove that warheads will be able to survive the harsh conditions of atmospheric reentry.In his opening comments at the meeting in Bangkok, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the launch “utterly unacceptable,” saying the missile fell inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone west of Hokkaido.The exercises “showed we have a strong resolve to sternly deal with an ICBM launch and any other provocations and threats posed by North Korea, and the allies’ overwhelming capacity and readiness to launch precision strikes on the enemy,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.On Nov. 3, North Korea also launched a suspected Hwasong-17 missile, but experts say that weapon failed to fly its intended flight and fell into the ocean after a stage separation."