North Korea’s precision-guided ballistic missile test successful — State media

SEOUL: North Korea yesterday boasted its test of a precisionguided missile was “successful”, saying it had zeroed in within a few metres of a target provocatively close to Japan the day before.

The North’s leader Kim JongUn supervised the launch of the guided ballistic rocket — the third missile test by the nuclear-armed regime in less than three weeks and carried out in defiance of US threats of military action and UN sanctions.

“The ballistic rocket flew toward the east sky where the day broke and correctly hit a planned target point with deviation of seven meters after flying over the middle shooting range,” the state-run news agency KCNA said.

South Korea’s military earlier said the Scud-type missile travelled eastward for 450km. Japan said it believed it had fallen into its exclusive economic zone, extending 200 nautical miles from the coast.

The missile test triggered swift condemnation from US President Donald Trump who said it showed “disrespect” to neighbouring China, the North’s sole major ally, which has sought to dampen tensions over Pyongyang’s weapons programme.

The launch was aimed at testing a weapon “capable of making ultraprecision strike on the enemies’ objects at any area”, KCNA said.

“Whenever news of our valuable victory is broadcast... the Yankees would be very much worried about it and the gangsters of the South Korean puppet army would be dispirited more and more,” Kim was quoted as saying.

The projectile was showcased for the first time last month as part of Pyongyang’s annual military parade to mark the 105th birth anniversary of the regime’s founder Kim Il- Sung, the news agency added. — AFP