North Korean rocket science

FILE PHOTO - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 15, 2017. KCNA via REUTERS/File photo REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THIS IMAGE. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. SOUTH KOREA OUT.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Last month, a rocket launched by North Korea soared to an altitude five times higher than the International Space Station. A Reuters analysis of publicly available data shows how that may have brought leader Kim Jong Un closer to his goal of producing a missile to hit the United States.

    The principle, experts say, is that the higher a rocket can travel, the further it can reach. See an interactive graphic here: (http://tmsnrt.rs/2t0oSv7).