Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government.
Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea considers U.S.-South Korean military drills as an invasion rehearsal, though the allies have steadfastly said they are defensive in nature.
It said North Korea also flew 150 warplanes for separate live-firing and other drills in the country’s first-ever such training.
North Korea described the missile that flew over Japan as a new-type intermediate-range weapon that traveled 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles).
Some experts say the nuclear test would be related to an effort to build warheads to be mounted on short-range missiles targeting South Korea.
“North Korea has multiple motivations for publishing a high-profile missile story now,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. »
