Translated material
North Korea announced successful testing of a ballistic missile engine
North Korea has announced that it has successfully tested an engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The new engine, according to a report released by the North Korean news agency KCNA, "guarantees" the ability of the DPRK to launch a nuclear strike on the United States.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally observed the tests carried out at the test site on the west coast of the DPRK, the report emphasizes.
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner, commenting on the test report, said that North Korea should "refrain from actions and statements that lead to further destabilization of the situation in the region, focusing instead on fulfilling its obligations under international agreements."
Successful tests, North Korean media quoted Kim Jong-un as saying, "will keep any concentration of evil on Earth, including the United States, at bay."
- In early January 2016, North Korea announced the successful test of a hydrogen bomb, the first in the history of the state. Pyongyang also subsequently launched a satellite that the international community perceived as a disguised test of a nuclear weapon delivery vehicle.
- In response to these actions by the DPRK, a number of countries, including South Korea, tightened the sanctions imposed on Pyongyang.