“N. KOREA TEST-FIRED HWASONG-17 ICBM”

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea announced that the ballistic missile fired Thursday was a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM). The North's official Korean Central News Agency added that it was in response to the ongoing joint drills by the U.S. and South Korea. Leader Kim Jong-un reportedly supervised the launch with his daughter Ju-ae.

[Pkg]

North Korean state media said the country fired a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) on Thursday. The Korean Central News Agency said the Hwasong-17 ICBM which can strike the entire United States was launched from Pyongyang International Airport and reached a maximum altitude of 6,045 kilometers. The report said the missile flew a 1,000 kilometers for about 70 minutes over open waters in the East Sea before landing in the target area. North Korea claimed that unlike concerns or warnings by the international community, the launch had no negative impact on the safety of neighboring countries. It also said the launch has verified the battle readiness and reliability of the ICBM unit. The North also argued the launch was in response to the ongoing joint drills by the U.S. and South Korea. The KCNA said the ruling Workers Party's central military commission conducted the test-firing in response to the unstable security environment on the Korean Peninsula resulting from "provocative and aggressive large-scale war drills." Meanwhile South Korea urged the North to stop its provocations and blamed its reckless nuclear and missile development for the escalation of tensions on the peninsula.

[Soundbite] Lee Hyo-jung(Deputy spokesperson, Ministry of Unification) : "The N. Korea’s reckless nuclear and missile development is responsible for the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. It’s very regrettable N. Korea uses S. Korea-U.S. joint drills as a pretext to stage provocations."

The North said that leader Kim Jong-un supervised the launch with his daughter Ju-ae also present. Several photos of the launch and of the father and daughter have also been disclosed. Kim said the launch clearly affirmed assurance in the operational systems of the regime's ever advancing nuclear capabilities. He stressed the need to "strike fear on enemies" through irreversible and powerful nuclear deterrence and vowed to "respond to nuclear weapons with nukes."