Seoul: North Korea successfully test-fired a new-type intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday, the country’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Saturday.

Launched from the Pyongyang International Airport, the Hwasong-17 missile traveled 999.2 kilometers and reached a maximum altitude of 6,040.9 kilometers in a flight that lasted about 69 minutes, the KCNA said.

The missile hit a planned target in the Sea of Japan, it added.

The news agency was apparently referring to the ballistic missile that fell within Japan’s exclusive economic zone on Friday, at a point some 200 kilometers west of the island of Oshima-Oshima in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido.

North Korea’s top leader, Kim Jong Un, observed the launch of the missile in person, according to the KCNA report.

In an apparent warning to the United States and others, Kim was quoted as saying that if enemies continue to pose threats, North Korea will resolutely react to nuclear weapons with such weapons and to total confrontation with such confrontation.

Kim visited the launch site with his wife Ri Sol Ju and their daughter. It was the first time for the North Korean media to report on the daughters’ activities.

Suggesting possible further provocative actions, the North Korean leader reportedly called for accelerating the development of strategic weapons and the enhancement of training for the country’s ICBM and tactical nuclear weapons operation units.

The KCNA said Friday’s test-firing was aimed at examining the performance of an important strategic weapon.

Kim stressed that his country’s nuclear forces have secured the maximum capacity to contain any nuclear threats, according to the report.

JIJI Press