North Korean Leader Attends Medium-Range Strategic Missile Launch Drill

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North Korea announced the conduct of a maneuver for the launch of a medium-range strategic missile at dawn on October 3, from an eastern area of the country towards the East Sea of Korea, according to the official Korean Central News Agency on Sunday.

The agency's report stated that the maneuver came "as part of efforts to train missile forces personnel - who operate the hypersonic strategic weapon system - to handle their equipment, and to assess the reliability, efficiency, and maneuverability of the country's military deterrent force."

Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, oversaw the launch maneuver at the site, according to the report.

Kim said: "The personnel of the strategic missile forces have demonstrated their professional competence and full readiness for counterattack through today's launch maneuver; they clearly showed their exceptional skill in operating their main offensive system and their constant readiness for immediate action, thus enhancing confidence in our deterrent power."

The North Korean leader emphasized the "continuation of our responsible efforts without pause, to make the enemy constantly and repeatedly aware of the reliability and lethality of our strategic offensive capabilities... This is a form of deterrence practice," according to the agency.

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, stated in a statement released on Saturday that her country conducted a test of a medium-range strategic missile. Earlier on Saturday, the South Korean military announced that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile that traveled more than 700 kilometers toward the sea off its eastern coast. Kim Yo Jong, an official in the ruling Workers' Party, said that drills on a "strategic weapon" were conducted toward the sea off the country's eastern coast using a medium-range missile. She added that the North Korean leader oversaw the training carried out by a "special task force unit." She referred to statements made by Seoul and Tokyo regarding the distance traveled by the missile, saying that their findings show the limitations of their tracking capabilities.

She stated that South Korea and Japan "must quickly recognize the speed of the missile," without revealing the speed. She noted that the missile was also capable of changing its flight path at low altitude using artificial intelligence technology. She added, "In other words, this means there is no way to evade an attack by this (missile)."