Kim Jong Un Still Seeking Weapons That Work

Kim Jong Un, the frequently-mocked North Korean leader, has been remarkably patient in his pursuit of long-range ballistic missiles. On Wednesday, that patience may have paid off as Reuters reports North Korea appears to have launched a missile that got more than halfway to Japan's main island of Honshu.

The launch followed fast on the heels of five failed attempts, in a pace of tests that mirrors the methods of super powers decades ago during the Cold War. It may be that North Korea, due to less sophisticated computer capabilities, finds it easier to launch test missiles than to run computer simulations.

The missile being tested is designed to theoretically reach all of Japan and the U.S. territory of Guam. Experts have commented that failures are an expected part of testing, and that sooner or later the tests will lead to the successful development of some type of weapon.