SEOUL- 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed that his country will "control nuclear weapons with nuclear weapons," North Korean state media reported on Saturday. A day earlier, Pyongyang had tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The official KCNA news agency said Kim watched Friday's missile launch with his wife and daughter. The test confirmed that North Korea possesses another "reliable and most capable" weapon, KCNA quoted him as saying.

Kim Jong-un said threats from the United States and its allies had prompted North Korea to "actually accelerate the development of overwhelming nuclear deterrence".

According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong-un said: "Our party and the government will counterattack by the way of 'nuclear control and nuclear'."

North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday, apparently prompting an evacuation alert for a U.S. and Japanese air base. A day earlier, North Korea warned of more aggressive measures in response to increased military activity by the United States and its allies.

The intercontinental ballistic missile launched by North Korea landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone, waters about 200 kilometers west of Hokkaido in northern Japan, after flying for more than an hour, according to Japanese officials.

Misawa Air Base, a joint U.S.-Japan military base on the Japanese island of Honshu, said on its Facebook page that authorities had issued an evacuation alert order as a precaution, but made no mention of the North Korean missiles.

In response, the U.S. and its ally South Korea held joint air drills in which F-35A fighter jets carried out laser-guided strikes, according to South Korea's defense ministry.

In Washington, the U.S. National Security Council condemned North Korea's launch as a "flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions that unnecessarily escalate tensions and has the potential to destabilize the security situation in the region."

The South Korean military said the incident was a "serious act of provocation and threat that undermined peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and the wider region."

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan had lodged a "strong protest" against North Korea. He said North Korea had "renewed its provocations with unprecedented frequency".

"We will absolutely not tolerate these actions," Kishida told reporters in Thailand attending a regional summit.

Yasukazu Hamada, Japan's defense minister, said the missile could reach the continental United States, adding that it could fly as far as 15,000 kilometers.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the launch likely involved North Korea's largest missile, the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, which some experts dubbed a "monster missile."

At the request of the United States, the UN Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss North Korea.

U.N. spokesman Haque said U.N. Secretary-General Guterres strongly condemned North Korea's second ballistic missile launch.

Guterres called on North Korea to "immediately cease any further provocative actions," fully comply with all Security Council resolutions and take immediate steps to resume dialogue, he said.

North Korea is prohibited from conducting ballistic missile tests at any range under a number of UN Security Council resolutions.


A day before Friday's missile launch, North Korea's foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, vowed to take "tougher" action against the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

Choi's statement was specifically aimed at the latest summit. At that summit, the leaders of the United States, Japan, and South Korea agreed to cooperate more closely in deterring North Korea.

"Pyongyang is trying to undermine efforts against North Korea by escalating military tensions and suggesting it has the capability to put American cities at risk of a nuclear attack," said Leife-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. global cooperation."North Korea has developed several types of intercontinental ballistic missiles believed to be capable of reaching the United States. Analysts say continued testing is necessary to ensure the missile meets technical specifications, including the ability to survive re-entry.


In recent weeks, North Korea has launched an unprecedented series of missiles, some of which have triggered air strike alerts and evacuation alerts in Japan and South Korea.

North Korea said it was responding to intensified military drills by the United States and its allies. But Washington said the additional drills were necessary for response to North Korea's missile launches.

Friday was the second day in a row that North Korea launched a ballistic missile. On Thursday, just hours after Choe's statement, North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile that landed in the sea off its east coast.

North Korea has launched more than 70 ballistic missiles this year, a record so far, including multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles.


North Korea's latest missile launch came as many world leaders were in Thailand for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

U.S. Vice President Harris, who is leading the U.S. delegation to the APEC summit, called an emergency meeting of the leaders of South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

She then said leaders "strongly condemned" North Korea's missile launch, saying it had "undermined security and stability in the region and unnecessarily escalated tensions".