NORTH KOREA – North Korea confirmed on Monday the launch of hypersonic ballistic missiles which was carried out on Sunday, in what Kim Jong Un called a key step in strengthening the country’s war deterrence.

The launch was carried out by a fire strike unit of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) as part of an operational evaluation to assess the readiness, performance and mobility of hypersonic weapon systems, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

Kim observed the test-firing and said it confirmed that a “very important technology task for national defense has been carried out.”

He praised his missile troops for demonstrating the readiness of North Korea’s nuclear forces and said recent progress reflected the country’s emphasis on defense science and technology.

“Important achievements have been recently made in putting our nuclear forces on a practical basis and preparing them for an actual war,” he added.

The hypersonic missiles were launched from Ryokpo district in the capital Pyongyang and hit targets about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away over the sea east of North Korea, KCNA said.

The test-firing also came on the day that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed on his first visit to China since taking office last year, where he is scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping on Monday.

Ahead of his meeting, he described China as a “very important partner” for peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula.

Last month, North Korea said it fired long-range strategic cruise missiles into the sea to test the combat readiness and counter-offensive capabilities of its missile forces.

Missile Tests Necessary

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has said the missile tests carried out by the country are “necessary” in the wake of “the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events.”

The North Korean leader’s comments came after the US launched a pre-dawn raid on Venezuela on Saturday, capturing its president and the first lady, who were later flown to New York.

Kim said the missile launch confirmed that a “very important technology task for national defense has been carried out” and “showed the readiness of the DPRK’s (North Korea’s) nuclear forces.”

“Important achievements have been recently made in putting our nuclear forces on a practical basis and preparing them for an actual war,” he added, noting that North Korea “must continuously upgrade the military means, especially offensive weapon systems.”

“To be honest,” Kim said during the launch of the missiles, “our such activity is clearly aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a highly developed basis.”

“The reason why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events,” he stressed.