N. Korea confirms test-firing of Hwasong-17 ICBM

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea confirmed Friday that it test-fired a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the previous day on the direct order of its leader Kim Jong-un.

Kim said that the "new strategic weapon of the DPRK would make the whole world clearly aware of the power of our strategic armed forces once again," the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

"He stressed that our national defense forces would possess formidable military and technical capabilities unperturbed by any military threat and blackmail and keep themselves fully ready for long-standing confrontation with the U.S. imperialists," it added.

The ICBM flew 1,090 kilometers at a top altitude of 6,248 km before landing in the East Sea, according to the KCNA.

Thursday's launch marked the DPRK's first ICBM launch since 2017 in a move sharply escalating tensions in the region.

Pyongyang's show of force, the 12th this year, means an end to its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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