North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guided the successful test-launch of a new "powerful tool for nuclear attack" called the "Hwasong-17" intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday as part of efforts to "contain" the U.S., state media reported the following day.

Pyongyang claimed it carried out the test to "ensure the scientific and technical reliability of [the Hwasong-17's] prompt operation under the wartime condition," as neighboring countries and the U.S. condemn the launch as a major provocation.