N. Says Sunday Test Was Hwasong-12 Missile able to strike US territory - UrduPoint

North Korea confirmed it had fired a Hwasong-12 "mid-range ballistic missile", state media reported Monday, the first time it has tested a weapon that powerful since 2017.

Seoul's military said it had detected the launch Sunday of an intermediate-range ballistic missile -- Pyongyang's seventh weapons test in January.

North Korea has never test-fired this many missiles in a Calendar month before and last week threatened to abandon a nearly five-year-long self-imposed moratorium on testing long-range and nuclear weapons, blaming US "hostile" policy for forcing its hand.

"The evaluation test-fire of Hwasong 12-type ground-to-ground intermediate- and long-range ballistic missile was conducted Sunday," the official Korean Central news Agency said.

The test "confirmed the accuracy, security and effectiveness of the operation of the Hwasong 12-type weapon system under production," KCNA added.

KCNA said the test was carried out using the "highest-angle launch system" to ensure the safety of neighboring countries, and that the warhead carried a camera that took photos while it was in space.