(Seoul) North Korea claimed on Friday that the projectile it launched toward the Sea of Japan the day before was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), state news agency KCNA said, confirming statements by the South Korean army.
The missile, called Hwasong-17, was fired in response to joint military exercises currently being conducted by the United States and South Korea, described as “provocative and aggressive” by the official Pyongyang agency.
Thursday’s shot was North Korea’s third since Sunday. It came hours before a visit to Tokyo by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
This missile test “is an opportunity to give a stronger warning to enemies seeking to escalate tension on the Korean Peninsula,” KCNA said.
The missile traveled about 1,000 km and reached a maximum altitude of 6,000 km “before landing precisely on the predefined area in the open waters off the East Sea”, the Korean name for the Sea of Japan, according to KCNA.
Called “Freedom Shield”, the American-South Korean military exercises began on Monday and are to last ten days. They focus on “the changing security environment” due to the redoubled aggressiveness of North Korea, the allies said.
North Korea regards these exercises as rehearsals for an invasion of its territory or an overthrow of its regime.