By Abe Hawken For Mailonline 07:32 EST 17 Dec 2016, updated 12:49 EST 17 Dec 2016
North Korea's missiles can reach Europe, a government briefing was told. Military official Lee Sang-haw said 'Europe is within range' - along with the US
The KN-08 missile - still being developed - could have a range of 12,000km. Kim Jong-un's nuclear missiles can reach the United States and Europe, it was revealed at a government briefing.
The alarming announcement came after it was suggested North Korea's rockets could travel a few thousand kilometres.
However, Lee Sang-haw, director general of the South's North Korean nuclear affairs bureau, said the distance could be a lot more than previously predicted.
He said that 'Europe is also within range' along with the US - and the whole NATO alliance, reports Michael Havis at the Daily Star Online.
Kim Jong-un's nuclear missiles can reach the United States and Europe, it was revealed at a South Korean government briefing.
North Korea's KN-08 missile - which is still being developed - could end up having a range of 12,000km - making the whole of Europe a potential target.
A senior ministry source told the website that extent of the country's weapons was 'classified' information after Mr Sang-haw would not release further details.
They source said: 'I am not able to share everything I know because much of the intelligence is classified and I don't want to go into precise details.
'There are different assessments of North Korea's ballistic missile capabilities, but what is for sure is as they repeat tests, they learn something important.'
The alarming announcement came after it was suggested the 32-year-old's rockets could travel a few thousand kilometres.
Chris Ogden, an expert in Asian security at St Andrews University, said the information could 'broaden the potential of a nuclear attack'.
He said it was 'unclear' why Jong-un would wish to target Europe and added: 'The key enemies above all others are South Korea and the US, and by extension Japan, not Europe.
'An attack or a lashing out would centre on launching a weapon towards these targets first and not to Europe, if ever.
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