North Korea Responds to US and South Korea Military Exercises

North Korea has launched the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile. According to the state media, this move is a demonstration of the country’s strategic forces’ "hard response posture" against the "aggressive" joint military exercises by the US and South Korea. This was reported by Yonhap News Agency.

As per the Korea Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un directed the missile launch with his young daughter, aiming to provide a "stronger warning to the enemies who are intentionally exacerbating the situation" on the peninsula.

According to North Korean reports, the intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from Pyongyang International Airport, reaching a maximum altitude of 6045 km and traveling 1000.2 km in 4,151 seconds, subsequently landing in the waters of the Sea of Japan at a predetermined location.

Kim Jong Un stated that the military actions of their adversaries against North Korea pose an "irreversible and serious threat to themselves." The missile launch occurred ahead of talks between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, as well as against the backdrop of the Freedom Shield joint exercises between Washington and Seoul, which began on March 13.

Incidentally, following the start of these exercises, Pyongyang has tested various missiles with different ranges daily.

The Korea Central News Agency also released images showing the country’s leader observing the missile launch with his daughter, who is presumably about 10 years old. Kim Jong Un first introduced his daughter to the public last November when they watched the Hwasong-17 launch together.

Pyongyang also shared images of Earth taken from the missile to showcase the DPRK's advanced technologies.

The South Korean Ministry of Unification has strongly condemned North Korea’s latest intercontinental missile launch, calling for an immediate halt to all provocations.