Kim Jong-un pledges to launch more North Korean missiles into Pacific, to ‘contain’ US territory of Guam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for more weapons tests targeting the Pacific Ocean, Pyongyang announced Wednesday, a day after his nation flew a ballistic missile designed to carry a nuclear payload over Japan.

Tuesday’s aggressive missile launch – likely the longest ever from North Korea – over the territory of a close US ally sends a clear message of defiance as Washington and Seoul conduct war games nearby.

Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said it was a Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile that the North first successfully tested in May and threatened to fire into waters near Guam earlier this month.

Kim expressed “great satisfaction” after watching the launch that he called a “meaningful prelude” to containing Guam, which is home to key US military bases that North Korea finds threatening, the agency said. He also said the country will continue to watch “US demeanours” before it decides on future actions.

Kim also said it was “necessary to positively push forward the work for putting the strategic force on a modern basis by conducting more ballistic rocket launching drills with the Pacific as a target in the future.”