North Korea said Sunday its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test was meant to further bolster its "fatal" nuclear attack capacity against its rivals.
North Korea fired a long-range missile into the sea off Japan a day after it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises.
His young daughter Kim Ju Ae also attended. Some observers interpret this as Kim's message that nuclear weapons will protect future generations of North Koreans.
Some experts say Kim Jong Un's push to make more nukes and new weapons systems reflects his hopes to solidify future negotiating power as he heads into prolonged tensions with the U.S. and its allies.
Tensions rose earlier this week when South Korea accused North Korea of flying five drones across the border for the first time in five years and responded by sending its own drones toward the North.
North Korean hackers have stolen an estimated $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency and other virtual assets in the past five years, more than half of it this year alone, South Korea's spy agency says.
North Korean state media said that Kim Jong Un had observed the launch of its new type of intercontinental ballistic missile with his wife Ri Sol Ju, their "beloved daughter" and other officials.
North Korea launched four ballistic missiles into the sea, as the U.S sent two bombers over South Korea in a dueling display of military might that underscored rising tensions in the region.
North Korea's recent barrage of missile launches were the simulated use of its tactical battlefield nuclear weapons to "wipe out" potential South Korean and U.S. targets, state media reported Monday
North Korea warned that the U.S. redeployment of an aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula is causing a "considerably huge negative splash" in regional security.
A malfunctioning South Korean ballistic missile blew up as it plowed into the ground Wednesday during a live-fire drill, panicking and confusing residents of the coastal city of Gangneung.
South Korea called an emergency National Security Council meeting where members denounced the launch as a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country will never abandon the nuclear weapons it needs to counter the United States, which he accused of pushing to weaken the North's defenses.
