How Long Would It Take For A Missile From North Korea To Reach The US?

According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, nine countries currently possess nuclear weapons: the United States, China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea. This brings the total number of nuclear warheads in the world to approximately 12,100. More than 9,500 of these warheads are in active military stockpiles, which means they are ready to be deployed at any moment.

Russia and the U.S. have the most confirmed nuclear weapons, with around 5,500 and 5,044 warheads, respectively, accounting for about 90% of the world's total nuclear arsenal. North Korea is one of the wildcards on the list, in that its true level of nuclear capability is not fully known, though some estimates suggest that the North Koreans have the resources to build 40 to 50 individual weapons.

SlashGear recently reported how long it would take for a missile from Russia to reach the U.S., but what if the North Koreans fired one? How much time would it take for a North Korean missile to hit the U.S.? The answer: about 30 minutes. Here's why.

There are four main types of ballistic missiles, one of which is the intercontinental ballistic missile. Were North Korea to fire an ICBM at the U.S., it would reach the American mainland in just over half an hour, according to a 2023 study conducted by Beijing Institute of Electronic System Engineering (via Business Insider).

To carry out the study, the researchers simulated the firing of a Hwasongpho-15 missile from Sunchon, a city located in the west-central region of North Korea. They found that the missile would reach Columbia, Missouri in 33 minutes. The U.S. defense system, meanwhile, would register the launch approximately 20 seconds after the firing.

North Korea has further improved its nuclear capabilities since 2023. In October 2024, the North Koreans launched the Hwasong-19, describing it as "world's strongest strategic missile" and "the perfected weapon system," per NBC News.

While foreign experts have disputed these claims, they concede that the Hermit Kingdom has made significant advancements. It is unclear if North Korea has the technology to launch a successful strike on the U.S., but the tests it has conducted suggest it has the capability to deliver strikes on South Korea and other neighboring countries.

In an effort to address the profound implications of nuclear weapons development, a group of scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project that built the atomic bombs detonated over Japan established the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 1945. In 1947, the organization created the Doomsday Clock, a symbolic representation of how close humanity is to destruction, measured in minutes to midnight. Disruptive technologies, biological threats, and climate change all play a role in how the Bulletin assesses the time on the Doomsday Clock, but the threat of nuclear weapons is the primary concern in their evaluation.

In January 2025, the clock was set at 89 seconds to midnight, indicating that we are closer to global catastrophe than ever before. This speaks volumes about how dangerously close we are to complete annihilation. And when you look at some of the worst military accidents involving nuclear weapons throughout history, it becomes clear that humanity is teetering on the edge of disaster, whether due to malicious intent or human error.