<br><div><aside class="gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el" aria-label="Video - North Korea: How an impoverished nation developed top military might"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Friday it test-fired its biggest-yet intercontinental ballistic missile under the orders of leader Kim Jong Un, who vowed to expand the North's "nuclear war deterrent" while preparing for a "long-standing confrontation" with the United States.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The report by North Korean state media came a day after the militaries of South Korea and Japan said they detected the North launching an ICBM in its first long-range test since 2017.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The launch extended a barrage of weapons demonstrations this year that analysts say are aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power and remove crippling sanctions against its broken economy that has been further damaged by pandemic-related difficulties.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The Hwasong-17, which was fired at a high angle to avoid the territorial waters of neighbors, reached a maximum altitude of 3,880 miles and traveled 680 miles during a 67-minute flight before landing in waters between North Korea and Japan, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said.</p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">KCNA claimed the launch met its technical objectives and proved the ICBM could be operated quickly during wartime conditions.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p"><strong class="gnt_ar_b_al">'EARLY SIGNS OF ACTIVITY AT THE NEW SITE':</strong><a target="_blank" href="/story/news/world/2022/03/08/north-korea-satellite-photos-construction-nuclear-site/9424120002/" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">Satellite images appear to show construction at North Korean nuclear site</a></p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The South Korean and Japanese militaries had announced similar flight details, which analysts say suggested that the missile could reach targets 9,320 miles away when fired on normal trajectory with...</p></div> <style> .wrapper { text-align: center; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <a class="button" href ="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/03/24/north-korea-suspected-long-range-intercontinental-missile/7150459001/">Read more <span>➤</span></a> </div>
