FINGERS CROSSED: North Korean missiles may reach US, but lack effective re-entry.

U.S. and South Korean experts said Tuesday that Japanese video footage capturing the Hwasong-14’s re-entry vehicle shortly before it crashed into the sea suggests it failed to survive the extreme heat and pressure after re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere following its launch from northern North Korea last week.

The apparent failure likely means the rogue regime will conduct more flight tests of the Hwasong-14 missile to ensure the warhead could survive the re-entry from space and hit its intended target.

After analyzing video from a rooftop camera operated by Japan’s NHK television on the northern island of Hokkaido, U.S. missile expert Michael Elleman concluded that Hwasong-14’s re-entry vehicle “disintegrated” before it landed at sea.

Denying Pyongyang the ability to improve its reentry vehicle might be the best reason to impose a “missile quarantine,” already proposed as one possible option by our own Austin Bay.