North Korea refuses to confirm nor deny apparent missile test

Russian journalists have received a statement from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry regarding the country’s supposedly failed missile test from early this morning.

The statement reads,

“There was a question concerning claims of our recent missile launch, but officially it has not been announced. Even if it look place, it’s a normal process in the course of improving the ability of our country’s nuclear deterrent forces, there is nothing surprising in it. Such things are not necessarily published in press”.

The statement continued,

“Kim Jong Un in his New Year’s speech indicated that the preparation of the test launches of ballistic missiles is already at the perfect stage, and we have repeatedly announced that at any time when our leader Kim Jong Un decides, we can then take such measures. Measures to enhance the nuclear armed forces are self-defence measures of our country and efforts to ensure peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. They are the legitimate rights of a sovereign state”.

This comes as US National Security adviser H.R. McMaster referred to North Korea as ‘hostile’ and vowed that all options are on the table, in respect of US military action against Pyongyang.