North Korea releases images it claims were taken from space during missile test

North Korea has released images it claims show the test-firing this weekend of its biggest missile for several years, as it attempts to use launches of weapons capable of reaching US territories to pressure the Biden administration into restarting nuclear talks.

The state-run KCNA news agency said on Monday the country had launched an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile capable of reaching the US Pacific territory of Guam. The missile was the most powerful the regime has tested since late 2017.

After a series of launches involving short-range missiles, some observers believe the regime could be gearing up for tests of nuclear weapons or intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of striking parts of the US mainland.

There are no signs that Biden, who this month approved the first North Korean sanctions of his presidency, is considering a return to the direct diplomacy that led to three meetings between Kim and Donald Trump.

An assessment by the South Korean and Japanese militaries estimated it flew about 800 km (497 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of 2,000 km (1,242 miles) before landing in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan.

In 2017 the regime test-fired a Hwasong-15 ICBM, which some experts said proved it had acquired the ability to strike the US mainland.