The test-fire was successful without putting the security of neighbouring countries at risk, the North’s KCNA news agency said, referring to the missile as a “Hwasong-10”.
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The indigenous Musudan missile, which North Korea refers to as the Hwasong-10, could theoretically reach US troops based as far as Guam.
North Korean state media reported Mr Kim saying his country now has the sure capability to attack the Americans in the Pacific.
With an estimated range of some 3,000 to 4,000 km, the Musudan missile could theoretically reach any target in Japan and strike as far away as the U.S. territory of Guam.
The latest sanctions imposed by the council on March 2 were the toughest on North Korea in two decades, reflecting growing anger at what Pyongyang claims was its first hydrogen bomb test on January 6 and a rocket launch in defiance of a ban on all nuclear-related activity.
The first test shortly before 6:00 am (2100 GMT Tuesday) was deemed to have failed after reportedly flying around 150 kilometres (90 miles) over the East Sea (Sea of Japan).
The United States has condemned North Korea’s latest missile tests. The definition of success in missile testing can be somewhat subjective; North Korea gets to decide the parameters it was looking to accomplish and it looks like Kim Jong-un is satisfied with the 1,000 kilometer apogee and the 400 kilometer range accomplishments.
The missile fired two hours earlier flew around 150 kilometers before it exploded in midair.
If true, it would mean the North has mastered technology enabling it to produce a ballistic missile capable of flying across the Pacific to strike the US mainland. “North Korea would need the ability to strike the USA during a clash for military reasons, but it also appears to believe that it could use such an ability as leverage in normal negotiations with the U.S.”, said a senior military officer. Analysts say that will be Pyongyang’s attempt to force Washington to negotiate with it.
“We need to stay ahead of the threat”, he said.
The government fired two Musudan missiles on Wednesday, after four previous launch failures since April and one unsuccessful test on Wednesday.
Seoul and Washington want to deploy the USA military’s sophisticated Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System that would protect against North Korean missiles, though China worries about the system being deployed on its doorstep.
An official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a regular briefing Thursday that to constitute a success, a missile should fly the minimum range, which is 500 to 600 kilometers for an intermediate-range missile.
“All members also considered that these launches were in violation of all Security Council resolutions and insisted on the crucial importance of working for their implementation”, said Lamek, whose nation now holds the rotating Council presidency.
North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
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Experts believe the North is trying to show off his ability to strike USA military bases in Guam and use it as leverage in getting Washington to agree to bilateral negotiations.
