N. Korea says it test-fired new air defense missile system

SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Thursday it test-fired a newly designed air defense missile system the previous day to confirm its technical capabilities.

The Missile Administration conducted the test, overseen by Kim Jong-sik, a member of the Central Military Commission, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"The test-fire proved the technical specifications and reliability of the new material and intelligent multiple guided mode of the projectile, target identification and tracking capability of the air-defence missile system and its detection information processing device," it said.

In addition, a firepower subunit of the long-range strategic cruise missile unit in the eastern area staged a strike drill on the same day, using a long-range strategic cruise missile against a virtual airport target, according to the report.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected the North fired multiple missiles toward the East Sea from the Sondok area in South Hamgyong Province early Wednesday.

The missiles are believed to have flown less than 300 kilometers, with authorities leaving open the possibility that they involved a close-range ballistic missile.

Wednesday's launch came as Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued back-to-back statements this week rejecting a U.S. investigation that blamed the North for stealing more than US$6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. It also coincided with the U.S. midterm elections, widely seen as a referendum on U.S. President Donald Trump halfway into his second term.