TOKYO, September 19. /TASS/. North Korea has successfully test launched a new Hwasong-11DA-4.5 short-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a 4.5-ton payload, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The launch was carried out on September 18 to test its accuracy at a distance of up to 320 kilometers, it said, adding that a strategic cruise missile was also test launched on the same day.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was present during the tests and was satisfied with their results. "Such tests and continuing efforts to increase the capacity of weapons are explained by the serious threat to North Korea’s state security from foreign forces," he said.

Pyongyang test launched the Hwasong-11DA-4.5 missile on July 1.

According to the Japanese defense ministry, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles on September 18 toward the Sea of Japan with an interval of about 30 minutes. They fell down east of the Korean Peninsula’s coast.