State news called the launch a ‘guarantee for and a clear proof of the sure reliability of our powerful physical nuclear deterrent’. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the launch as a ‘provocative’ act.
« : »North Korea confirmed on Sunday it had tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the previous day, in a “sudden launching drill” aimed at confirming the weapons’ reliability, state media reported. North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile into the sea off Japan’s west coast on Saturday afternoon after warning of a strong response to coming military drills by South Korea and the United States. “The surprise ICBM launching drill … is an actual proof of the DPRK strategic nuclear force’s consistent efforts to turn its capacity of fatal nuclear counter-attack on the hostile forces into the irresistible one,” the state news agency KCNA said, calling it a “guarantee for and a clear proof of the sure reliability of our powerful physical nuclear deterrent.
