Year Developed: 2000(Taepodong 1), 2004(Taepodong 2, est.) Range: 2,500km(Taepodong 1), 6,700km(Taepodong 2) Warheads: 500kg (Taepodong 1), 1,000kg (Taepodong 2 est.) The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency says North Korea's Daepodong No. 2 missile can reach part or the entire American mainland This missile, also known as Scud-E, was also named after its test-launch site - Taepo village of North Hamgyung Province’s Myungchun region, Hago district (currently Musudanri village of the Hwadae region). The most noted point about this missile is that it is the first of the DPRK’s missiles to utilize multi-stage rocket propulsion, indicating that the DPRK’s missile capabilities have reached an entirely new level. The 1st stage rocket engine is that of the ‘Rodong 1’, while the 2nd stage rocket is that of the Scud-C. With the Taepodong, the DPRK acquired the capability to hit the U.S. mainland, a factor that has become a major concern in connection with its nuclear weapons program. On the 31st of August, 1998, the DPRK test-launched the missile without any prior notice, internationally confirming its existence. The 1st stage rocket landed in seas south of Vladivostok, while the 2nd stage rocket propelled the missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean at an altitude of 65km. This event profoundly shocked Japan, and has served as a justification for Tokyo to accelerate its adoption of a missile defense system. On the 4th of September, 1998, the DPRK announced that the projectile launched was in fact the satellite ‘Gwangmyung-sung 1’. However, there is no evidence to date that a DPRK satellite is in orbit, and there have been no transmissions between DPRK stations and any known satellite. Therefore, it is unlikely that the projectile launched was a satellite. Regardless of whether the projectile was a missile or satellite that failed to reach orbital altitudes, had it been equipped with a nuclear warhead, it would have been a de facto ICBM. This consideration alone is cause enough for the international community’s concern.