US Boosting Defence After North Korea Threats

The US is beefing up its domestic missile defence systems with new interceptors after recent threats of a nuclear attack by North Korea.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced the addition of 14 interceptors in Alaska, a nearly 50% increase in defence capability.

The new interceptors, added to the 30 already installed in California and Alaska, will improve the military's ability to shoot down missiles in flight before they reach the US.

Mr Hagel said the US is also working with Japan to deploy new radar systems that could better track and provide warning of any missile launched by the Communist regime.

The Pentagon is also studying the feasibility of alternative missile defence system sites in other parts of the US, he said.

Officials do not believe North Korea is capable of carrying out a nuclear attack on the US, but the recent threat has added to tensions between the two countries.

The defence system has existed since 2004, when the George W Bush administration built it in response to threats from North Korea.

In the past year, under the regime of leader Kim Jong-Un, North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests and successfully launched a satellite into orbit using the same technology needed to launch a long-range missile.

Mr Hagel told reporters the decision was intended to help the US "stay ahead of the threat" posed by North Korea's missile technology advances.

"The United States has missile defence systems in place to protect us from limited ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) attacks, but North Korea in particular has recently made advances in its capabilities and is engaged in a series of irresponsible and reckless provocations," he said.

North Korea's ire has also been directed at neighbour South Korea, with it recently threatening to reduce the country's capital Seoul to "a sea of fire".