N. Korea's leader hints of long-range missile test launch
TOKYO - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hinted Sunday that Pyongyang may ring in the new year with another bang -- the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
In his annual New Year's address, Kim said that after testing what the North claims was its first hydrogen bomb last year, preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have "reached the final stage."
Kim did not explicitly say an ICBM test, which if successful would be a big step forward for the North, was imminent. But he has a birthday coming up -- on Jan. 8 -- and last year Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test on Jan. 6.
