According to the state-run [North] Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the hypersonic missiles were fired the previous day from a site near Pyongyang as part of a missile-launching drill and "hit targets" in the East Sea as Kim "oversaw" the drill along with senior military officials.
The KCNA said, "Important achievements have been recently made in putting our nuclear forces on a practical basis and preparing them for an actual war."
"It is a very important strategic task to maintain and expand a powerful and reliable nuclear deterrent through the sustained verification of key components of war deterrence and the improvement of its performance and the mastering of operational capabilities," it quoted Kim as saying.
"To be honest, our such activity is clearly aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a high-developed basis. Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events," it added, apparently referring to the capture of Venezuela's authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro in a lightning military operation by U.S. forces.
Specific details of the missiles were not disclosed, but based on their range and trajectories, they are believed to be from the country's Hwasong series of ballistic missiles.
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