TAEPODONG-II

Further on my Star Wars post, today's Daily Telegraph (UK) reports (registration required):

North Korea has tested an intercontinental ballistic missile engine capable of hitting the United States, according to a South Korean report.

The potential range of the missile was established by American intelligence from scorch marks and other traces of the engine test, the newspaper Joongang Ilbo said, citing diplomatic sources.

It could reach up to 3,700 miles, enough to hit Alaska.

It may be able to reach further, says the original South Korean report:

Experts say the liquid fuel Taepodong-2's range may be as far as 6,000 kilometers. The missile uses Chinese liquid fuel engines as a first stage rocket and a North Korean Rodong missile, based on Russian technology, as a second stage.

There's another reason Canada should support missile defense, debris from US test missiles that go off-course would be a lot easier to clean up than radioactive fallout.