N. Korea says missile launch targeted U.S. bases in Japan

SEOUL.KAZINFORM One day after North Korea fired four ballistic missiles its state-run news agency said Tuesday the country has conducted a missile launch exercise targeting U.S. military bases in Japan, according to Yonhap news agency.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervised the drill conducted by Hwasong artillery units of its Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army "tasked to strike the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggression forces in Japan," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The report did not disclose when the drill was carried out, but it was apparently referring to its launch of four ballistic missiles a day earlier. The North's missile tests are usually announced by its state media the next day.

The drill was conducted to review the artillery units' capacity to handle nuclear warheads and stage military operations in a swift manner, the KCNA said.

The launch of the missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers was seen as a response to the on-going joint military exercise between Seoul and Washington, which North Korea denounces as a war rehearsal against the North. Three out of the missiles landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

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