If it were to go over any land it would be shot down, but the target was the waters of the pacific
Not necessarily true....
Quote:
There are currently no missile defense systems that could shoot down the rocket during its boost phase. The Aegis system is intended to engage warheads in "midcourse" phase, after the missile has burned out and the warheads are coasting above the atmosphere on a predictable path. Aegis was not developed to be able to intercept an accelerating missile in boost phase. Similarly, the U.S. ground-based midcourse missile defense (GMD) system can't attempt an intercept until boost phase ends, and the interceptors are not close enough to the launch site to reach the rocket during its boost phase in any event.
In other words, once it's off the ground, the only thing bringing it back down is either gravity or North Korean engineering ineptitude—both of which are very powerful forces of the universe.
