PYONGYANG, North Korea: North Korea tested a strategic cruise missile on Saturday, the country’s official Korean Central News Agency (KNCA) reported on Sunday as Pyongyang vowed the “toughest counteraction” against the United States as long as Washington “refuses” the country’s sovereignty
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test, according to KCNA, which described it as a test-fire of an “important weapon system.”
The underwater-to-surface strategic cruise missiles travelled 1,500 kilometres and flew between 7,507 and 7,511 seconds before hitting their targets, KCNA reported.
In a separate KCNA report on Sunday, North Korea’s foreign ministry vowed the “toughest counteraction” against the United States as long as Washington “refuses” Pyongyang’s sovereignty.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement North Korea had fired “several” cruise missiles from an inland area toward waters off its west coast at around 4 p.m. local time (0700 UTC/GMT) on Saturday.
North Korea-US relations
It said Seoul is prepared to “overwhelmingly” counter any provocations by Pyongyang together with its military alliance with the US.
The military alliance and joint drills between South Korea and the US were to blame for the growing tensions in the region, the ministry said in a statement carried by KCNA.
Joint military exercises between the US and South Korea regularly prompt angry reactions from the North, which accuses Washington and Seoul of practising for an invasion.
The statement came as US President Donald Trump said during an interview on Thursday that he would reach out to Kim again after the two developed a working relationship in Trump’s first term.
North Korea’s war deterrence means were being “perfected more thoroughly,” Kim was quoted as saying, while the leader also vowed to continue efforts to strengthen the military.
“Kim Jong Un affirmed that the DPRK will always make strenuous efforts to perform its important mission and duty for defending sustainable and lasting peace and stability on the basis of more powerfully developed military muscle in the future.”
The DPRK stands for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Earlier this month, North Korean state media also reported that Kim oversaw a successful test of a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile (IRBM).
