North Korea says it conducted intermediate-range strategic missile drill

SEOUL, Oct 4 (Reuters) - North Korea fired an intermediate-range missile in a test overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, state media KCNA reported on Sunday.

KCNA said the missile was launched on Saturday from eastern North Korea and hit a target 1,000 km (621 miles) in the sea off the country's east coast. It said the drill was intended to train troops operating a hypersonic strategic weapon system and to assess the reliability, efficiency and mobility of the country's war deterrent.

The launch was the latest in a series of North Korean weapons tests this year and came as tensions on the Korean peninsula escalated over a landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone last month that wounded South Korean soldiers.

The KCNA report provided additional details about the missile launch disclosed on Saturday by Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un and a senior official in the ruling Workers' Party.

Kim Yo Jong said South Korea and Japan had failed to track the weapon's flight, saying a special "wave-like trajectory mode" had exposed limitations in their tracking capabilities.

South Korea's military said on Saturday it had detected a ballistic missile launch by North Korea and assessed the missile had flown more than 700 km toward the sea off its eastern coast.

According to KCNA on Sunday, Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang must continue efforts to make its enemies recognise the "reliability and fatality" of its strategic offensive weapons and reaffirmed that developing its nuclear war deterrent remained essential for national security.

The test came amid heightened tensions after Kim Yo Jong issued a sharply worded statement on Friday rejecting Seoul's demand for an apology over the landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone that seriously wounded South Korean soldiers.

South Korea has blamed North Korea for planting the mines and called for an apology. Kim Yo Jong called Seoul's accusation "groundless" and said North Korea had not deliberately laid mines targeting South Korean troops.

North Korea has carried out more than 10 missile tests this year.