North Korean state-run media made no mention on Wednesday morning of the previous day's firing of a ballistic missile over the Japanese archipelago, following similar instances of silence on a string of missile launches earlier this year.
North Korea on Tuesday fired a ballistic missile over the Japanese archipelago for the first time in five years, with the projectile reaching the longest distance ever for a missile launched by Pyongyang, the Japanese government said.
North Korea's media used to report on weapons tests the day after they are conducted, but no mentions of missile launches have been made since May. Tuesday's missile launch was North Korea's fifth in 10 days.
Since the start of this year, Pyongyang has conducted more than 20 rounds of ballistic missile tests in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at thwarting Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno warned Tuesday North Korea could engage in additional provocative actions, including its seventh nuclear test and first since September 2017.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged in September that the country will never give up its nuclear weapons, asserting that the United States is aiming to bring about the collapse of the Pyongyang regime, state-run media reported.
Tuesday's missile flew 4,600 kilometers -- putting the U.S. territory of Guam, where key military bases are located, within reach. Previous launches of North Korean missiles were fired on steep or "lofted" trajectories to test capabilities and fell in waters closer to the nation.
Observers say by heightening tensions, Pyongyang is eager to bring the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to the negotiating table on denuclearization of the Asian country to discuss provision of security guarantees to the North.
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