North Korea's ICBM Test Proves Capacity To Contain US Threats: Kim

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Saturday that the test of a newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile proved that his country has another “reliable and maximum-capacity” weapon to contain outside threats, as he warned the US and its allies that their alleged provocative actions would lead to “their self-destruction.”

North Korea's state media reported that Kim oversaw the launch of the Hwasong-17 missile, a day after its neighbours said they detected the launch of an ICBM capable of reaching anywhere in the United States.

The launch was witnessed by Kim, his wife Ri Sol Ju, and their daughter, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency and senior officials.

Kim was photographed walking hand in hand with his daughter, as they watched a massive missile loaded onto a launch truck. It's the first time North Korea has released a photo of Kim's daughter. According to observers, Kim's presence at a weapons launch with his family suggests that he was confident in its success.

The launch on Friday was part of the North's ongoing missile tests, which are seen as an attempt to expand its weapons arsenal and increase its leverage in future diplomacy.

According to some foreign experts, the Hwasong-17 missile is still in development. Still, it is the North's longest-range ballistic weapon capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads to defeat US missile defence systems.

According to KCNA, the missile launched from Pyongyang International Airport reached a maximum altitude of about 6,040 kilometres and flew a distance of about 1,000 kilometres before landing in international waters off the country's east coast.

“The test-fire demonstrated the reliability of the new major strategic weapon system as representative of North Korea's strategic forces and its powerful combat performance as the world's strongest strategic weapon,” according to KCNA.