N.Korea launches 'aimed at striking US bases in Japan'

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL (AA) - North Korea’s controversial ballistic missile tests were geared towards developing the capability to strike United States forces stationed in Japan, according to the reclusive state’s official news agency.

KCNA reported early Tuesday that an exercise was carried out by artillery units "tasked to strike the bases of the U.S. imperialist aggression forces in Japan".

The report came after the North fired four banned projectiles 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) across the Korean Peninsula Monday morning, as monitored by the South Korean military among other international observers.

Three of the missiles landed in waters belonging to Japan's exclusive economic zone, the UN said in a statement Tuesday that condemned the launches.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was quoted by KCNA as ordering the units to conduct themselves as a "credible nuclear force".

Pyongyang is barred from testing nuclear and ballistic missile technology by multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.

This week's launches marked the second missile provocation by North Korea since U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in on Jan. 20. Despite mounting international pressure, the country tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Feb. 12.

The South's acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn’s office has said he held phone talks Tuesday morning with Trump to discuss the two allies’ response.

Pyongyang has been bristling over ongoing joint military drills involving South Korea and the U.S.

The reclusive state faced severe sanctions from the UN Security Council for a series of launches last year, in addition to two nuclear tests.