Kim Jong Un watches 'most powerful' missile launch with daughter in new images
New images released by North Korea appear to show the country's leader seeing off his latest missile launch together with his young daughter.
On Thursday a missile launch triggered an evacuation warning after fears it would fall near a Japanese island.
The ballistic missile was fired toward the sea, South Korea's military said, days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to enhance his nuclear arsenal in more "practical and offensive" ways.
The launch triggered an alert from national warning system J-Alert for residents of Hokkaido to evacuate as the missile was set to fall near its borders.
That alert was later retracted after officials said there was no possibility of a missile landing in the Hokkaido area.
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North Korea on Friday confirmed its latest ballistic test was of a new long-range missile powered by solid propellants.
The missile was fired on ThursdayIt described the rocket as the "most powerful piece" of its growing nuclear arsenal intended to target the United States and its allies in Asia.
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency issued the report a day after its neighbours detected the launch from an area near its capital of Pyongyang.
It follows a spate of testing that so far involved more than 100 missiles fired into sea since the start of 2022.
Kim Jong Un was pictured with his daughterKCNA said the test was supervised on site by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who said the missile, named Hwasong-18, would enhance the counterattack abilities of his nuclear forces in the face of what he described as growing external threats created by the military activities of the United States and its regional allies.
Images taken from the test site appear to show Kim together with his daughter, 10, as the missile launches into the sky.
The ballistic missile was fired toward the seaKim has vowed to further expand his nuclear arsenal so that his rivals "suffer from extreme anxiety and fear while facing an insurmountable threat, and be plunged into regrets and despair over their decisions."
North Korea has justified its weapons demonstrations as a response to the expanding military exercises between the United States and South Korea, which the North condemns as invasion rehearsals while using them as a pretext to push further its own weapons development.
Kim has vowed to further expand his nuclear arsenal"Respected comrade Kim Jong Un said speeding up the development of evolving and more advanced and powerful weapons systems is our party and government's consistent policy to respond to military threats and worsening security situation on the Korean Peninsula," KCNA said.
It follows a spate of testing that so far involved more than 100 missilesIt cited Kim as saying that the Hwasong-18 would rapidly advance North Korea's nuclear response posture and further support an aggressive military strategy that vows to maintain "nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation" against its rivals.
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The U.S. and South Korean militaries conducted their biggest field exercises in years last month and separately held joint naval and air force drills involving a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group and nuclear-capable U.S. bombers.
The missile launch triggered an evacuation warningNorth Korea claimed the drills simulated an all-out war against North Korea and communicated threats to occupy Pyongyang and decapitate its leadership.
The United States and South Korea have described their exercises as defensive in nature and said that the expansion of those drills is necessary to cope with the North's evolving threats.
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