South Korea successfully tested an indigenous defense system for intercepting ballistic missiles this week, the defense ministry said Thursday, calling it a “significant” step toward countering North Korea’s “increasingly sophisticated” nuclear and missile threats.

In a press release, the ministry stated the successful test of the long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) took place at a testing site in Taean, 68 miles southwest of Seoul, on Tuesday, a day before the DPRK tried and failed to launch a rocket carrying its first military spy satellite.

“The extended capability of L-SAM to the upper layer of the terminal phase will improve our ability