North Korea Tests Medium-Range Missile Under Kim Jong Un's Supervision
Pyongyang authorities said the missile was launched from the east of the country and struck a target 1,000 kilometers away (621 miles) at sea off the east coast, in a test intended to evaluate a weapons system that travels faster than the speed of sound.
Authorities in North Korea announced on Sunday that the country had launched a medium-range missile in a test overseen by leader Kim Jong Un.
Authorities said the missile was launched from eastern North Korea and struck a target 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) out at sea off the east coast, and that the drill aimed to test and train the forces operating a strategic weapons system that travels faster than the speed of sound and to assess the reliability, efficiency and the mobility capability of the military deterrent.
The launch, the latest in a series of North Korean weapons tests this year, comes as tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen after a landmine explosion in the demilitarized zone last month that wounded South Korean soldiers.
Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's sister and a senior official in the ruling Workers' Party, provided additional details about the launch, saying South Korea and Japan failed to track the weapon's trajectory, adding that "a special wave-like flight pattern" exposed shortcomings in their tracking capabilities.
South Korea's military said on Saturday that it had detected North Korea launch a ballistic missile, and its assessments concluded the missile traveled more than 700 kilometers toward the sea off its east coast.
Kim Jong Un was quoted as saying Pyongyang must continue efforts to make its enemies recognize the "reliability and lethality" of its offensive strategic weapons, reiterating that developing a nuclear deterrent remains essential for national security.
The test came amid rising tensions after Kim Yo Jong issued a strongly worded statement on Friday rejecting Seoul's demand that Pyongyang apologize for the landmine explosion in the demilitarized zone that seriously injured South Korean soldiers. South Korea blamed North Korea for planting the mines and demanded an apology; Kim Yo Jong called Seoul's accusation "baseless" and said North Korea did not deliberately plant mines aimed at South Korean forces.
North Korea has carried out more than ten missile tests this year.
