NORTH KOREA CONFIRMS INTERMEDIATE RANGE STRATEGIC MISSILE TEST
North Korea has officially confirmed that it conducted a drill involving an intermediate range strategic missile, providing new details about a ballistic missile launch detected earlier by South Korea and Japan. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the exercise involved what Pyongyang described as a strategic weapon fired toward the sea off North Korea’s east coast. South Korea’s military said the missile traveled more than 700 kilometers after being launched from the Wonsan area. Japan separately estimated the missile flew about 680 kilometers and reached an altitude of around 90 kilometers before landing outside its exclusive economic zone. North Korea says the drill was intended to test operational readiness and strategic deterrence capabilities.