North Korea said its latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test demonstrated its “strong physical nuclear deterrent” and its efforts to “turn its deadly nuclear counterattack capability to hostile forces”.
Hwasong-15 missile Missile fired from Pyongyang International Airport fell into Sea of Japan on Saturday It was about 125 miles (201 kilometers) northwest of Oshima, according to Tokyo Deputy Defense Minister Toshiro Ino.
North Korea said the launch was in response to South Korean and U.S. military drills planned for next month.
North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, said the launch of Hwasong-15 demonstrated North Korea’s “strong physical nuclear deterrent” and its efforts to transform “its ability to carry out lethal nuclear counterattacks against hostile forces” into an extremely powerful capability that cannot be countered .
Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, also said on Sunday: “I warned that we will pay close attention to every move of the enemy and respond accordingly, very forcefully and overwhelmingly, to every hostile move by the enemy.”
The United States responded to the test by flying long-range supersonic bombers.
Aircraft such as U.S. B-1B bombers have been training with South Korean and Japanese fighter jets over and near the Korean peninsula.
The South Korean military said in a statement that Sunday’s training reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad” security commitment to South Korea.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry released a photo of U.S. and South Korean jets flying over the Korean peninsula on Sunday.Figure: Korean National Army
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Kim Jong-un takes his youngest daughter to watch a soccer game
UN Security Council resolutions ban North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.
But North Korea claims it needs its weapons to counter the “hostile policies” of the US and its allies.
North Korea has vowed to take “unprecedented” tough action against the “culprit” country after South Korea announced a series of military exercises with the United States in the coming months.
Kim Jong-un took part in a massive military parade in the streets of Pyongyang last week, as troops fired more than a dozen intercontinental ballistic missiles.