North Korea vows to continue 'strengthening self-defense capabilities'

"The DPRK will further step up practical efforts to contain the military threat from hostile forces and maintain the balance of forces in the region," a foreign ministry spokesman said, according to the KCNA news agency.

The spokesman blamed Washington and Seoul for carrying out "more than 20 different war plans" this year, leaving Pyongyang with no choice but to thoroughly prevent the risk of nuclear war.

In a separate statement, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, criticized the UN secretary-general for criticizing North Korea's recent intercontinental ballistic missile launch and asserted that the weapons test was for "self-defense".

On Thursday, North Korea demonstrated its military might with the test of a new, solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-19.

According to both North Korea and the South Korean and Japanese militaries, the missile flew higher than any previous North Korean missile, reaching deep into space before falling into the sea between Japan and Russia.

On Friday, the South Korean and US air forces conducted their first joint live-fire drills, involving Global Hawk and Reaper drones, using GPS-guided weapons to carry out simulated attacks on enemy targets, according to a statement from the South Korean air force.

Hong Hanh (according to Reuters, CNN)