North Korea declared its medium-range Pukguksong-2 missile ready for deployment after a weekend test, the latest step in its quest to defy UN sanctions and develop a weapon capable of striking US targets. The test on Sunday was identified as a solid-fuel Pukguksong-2 MRBM missile, and during its flight it rose to an altitude of some 350 miles and traveled over 300 miles down range, before falling into the East China Sea. After the second missile launch in less than a week, KCNA reported: "Saying with pride that the missile's rate of hits is very accurate and Pukguksong-2 is a successful strategic weapon, [Kim Jong-un] approved the deployment of this weapon system for action. The North Korean leader supervised the launch of Pukguksong-2 missile and expressed satisfaction with its accuracy in hitting targets, according to the outlet citing the North Korean state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Residents look up at a big screen TV in front of Pyongyang railway station showing television presenter Ri Chun-Hee officially announcing that the country successfully tested a nuclear warhead earlier in the day on Sept. 9, 2016.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reports the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, has approved deployment of the Pukguksong-2 intermediate-range ballistic missile, and ordered mass production of the system. The United Nations Security Council will hold a closed-door session Tuesday to discuss the test.