North Korea tests solid-fuel ICBM to improve nuclear counterattack power

North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, said Friday that the recent launch of its new solid-fuel "Hwasong-18" intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) considerably strengthened the country's nuclear counterattack stance, Yonhap News Agency said Friday quoting North Korean state media.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported in state media that Kim, who oversaw Thursday's launch, said the new ICBM would "radically promote the effectiveness of its nuclear counterattack posture and bring about a change in the practicality of its offensive military strategy."

"The aim of the test fire was to confirm the performance of the high-thrust solid-fuel engines for multi-stage missiles and the reliability of the stage-jettisoning technology and various functional control systems," the KCNA said.

According to the statement, "the test-fire proved that all of the new strategic weapon system's parameters fully matched the requirements of the design in terms of accuracy."

The North reportedly fired an intermediate- or longer-range ballistic missile on Thursday, according to the military of South Korea, which travelled 1,000 kilometres before touching down in the East Sea.

Following its ongoing unwillingness to respond to what were formerly daily cross-border communications, North Korea on Thursday fired an unspecified ballistic missile towards the East Sea of Japan on Thursday, Yonhap News Agency said citing the South Korean military.

As Pyongyang fired an unspecified ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan on Thursday, the Prime Minister's Office of Japan issued a warning of 'taking all the necessary precautions' at this crucial time.

Japan issued a warning that a North Korean missile may have landed in Hokkaido Prefecture or neighbouring waterways.

However, sometime later Japan issued a statement that said there is no longer a possibility of a missile fired by Pyongyang falling in or near Hokkaido, as per NHK.