Pyongyang said the missile launch was carried out on Wednesday and is aimed at further developing the country’s nuclear strike force.
"The test-fire is an essential process aimed at further developing the strategic nuclear force of the Republic and, at the same time, serves as a strong practical warning" to adversaries, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA ) said.
Slamming US deployment of submarines and bombers to the Korean peninsula, the North warned the situation has “reached the phase of nuclear crisis beyond the Cold War era.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test. He said Pyongyang will take strong measures to protect itself until the US and its allies renounce their hostile policies.
The missile test prompted condemnations from the US, South Korea, and Japan.
The United Nations Security Council will meet on Thursday to discuss the launch, the Security Council's current president Britain said on Wednesday.
The United States, Albania, France, Japan, Malta, and the United Kingdom requested the meeting.
Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile off its east coast.
The launch came days after North Korea threatened the US with a "shocking" response over conducting reconnaissance flights while violating the country's airspace.
North Korea has carried out numerous missile tests in response to persisting joint war games by US and South Korean military forces near its territorial waters.
This year, Pyongyang launched its first-ever solid-fuel ICBM and tried to put its first reconnaissance satellite into orbit, though the mission ended in failure.
MNA/PR