This photo provided by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea shows an intercontinental ballistic missile in the launching drill at the Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, March 16, 2023. The PHOTO KCNA SEOUL The strategic forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea DPRK conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile launch drill as a warning against the ongoing war drills by the United States and the Republic of Korea, the state media reported on Friday.
A Hwasongpho 17 launched on Thursday from the Pyongyang International Airport, climbed to a maximum altitude of 6,045 km and flew a distance of 1,000 km before landing on a preset area in the open waters off the eastern coast, according to the official Korean Central News Agency KCNA.
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The DPRK's top leader, Kim Jong-un, who presided over the launching event, applauded the reliability of the operating systems of the country's nuclear strategic forces, said the KCNA report.
Kim took the occasion to reiterate the DPRK's resolute will to respond with a nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation, according to the report.
The DPRK leader asked the strategic forces to maintain a rapid response capability in the event of armed conflict and war.
In conjunction with the latest missile launch, the country's main newspaper Rodong Sinmun published a commentary on Friday, underscoring that the Hwasongpho 17 launched a day earlier, should serve as clear evidence that the DPRK nuclear forces are not for advertisement Citing the DPRK law on the policy of nuclear-armed forces, the article said the country would make a resolute response to anyone trying to encroach upon its sovereignty and security.
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The commentary said that the United States should stop the military provocations and war drills against the DPRK.
The United States and the ROK canceled the Freedom Shield exercises on Monday, which was an annual large-scale joint military drill that would last until March 23.