North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of an intermediate-range strategic missile using a hypersonic weapons system, state media said, underscoring his intent to further strengthen the country’s nuclear deterrent.
The missile was fired at dawn on Saturday toward the waters off North Korea’s eastern coast, the Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday, adding the projectile flew northeast and struck a designated target about 1,000 kilometers away.
Kim’s daughter, Ju Ae, also appeared to watch the drill, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing photographs released by North Korean state media. The images showed Kim and his daughter observing the launch as well as a monitor displaying the missile’s flight path, Yonhap said.
Kim Jong Un said North Korea must repeatedly demonstrate the “reliability and fatality” of its strategic offensive weapons to its enemies, according to KCNA. He described such drills as part of efforts to further bolster the country’s nuclear deterrent and said there would be no change in that policy.
South Korea’s military strengthened surveillance and readiness and said it was analyzing the missile with US authorities. The presidential National Security Office also convened an emergency meeting Saturday and urged Pyongyang to halt launches that Seoul said violate UN Security Council resolutions.
“North Korea’s ballistic missile launches constitute a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions,” South Korea’s defense ministry said in a statement on Sunday. “We urge North Korea to immediately cease actions that heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and to join efforts to establish peace.”
With assistance from Soobin Kim.
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This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
