SEOUL, North Korea said Tuesday it test-fired a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the previous day, with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance.

The launch was aimed at taking a "powerful" warning measure against the dangerously intensifying situation, the North's state-run Korean Central Broadcasting Station said.

The state media said Kim expressed great satisfaction with the launch and called for stronger countermeasures against hostile acts.

On Monday, South Korea's military said the North fired a long-range missile into the East Sea in its fifth ICBM launch this year as Seoul and Washington seek closer nuclear cooperation against threats from Pyongyang.

Source: Yonhap News Agency