​The U.S. State Department issued a warning on April 23, urging North Korea to exercise restraint after reports that the country had test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine.

Missile test firingImages from a North Korean submarine in 2015 were allegedly the product of photo manipulation technology - Photo: KCNA

Meanwhile, sources from the South Korean Ministry of Defense said on the same day that North Korea's missile test had failed. The missile only flew about 30km towards the Sea of ​​Japan.

AFP reported on April 23rd that US State Department spokesman John Kirby emphasized: “The ballistic missile test is a blatant violation of a series of United Nations Security Council resolutions. The United States calls on North Korea to refrain from actions that destabilize the region and to take concrete steps to fulfill its international commitments and obligations.”

In a related development, in an interview with the Associated Press on April 23 at United Nations headquarters, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong set conditions for the United States in exchange for Pyongyang halting nuclear tests. This was a rare occasion for a North Korean official to give an interview to Western media.

Ri Su Yong declared: “The U.S. needs to abandon its hostile policies toward North Korea, the most concrete manifestation of which is the military exercises on the Korean Peninsula, and then we will respond in kind. If the U.S. stops its military exercises on the Korean Peninsula, then Pyongyang will also stop its nuclear tests.”

The North Korean foreign minister also warned: "If we continue this confrontation, it could lead to catastrophic consequences, not only for the two countries but also for the whole world."

Nevertheless, Ri Su Yong also affirmed that North Korea has the right to develop and possess nuclear weapons for deterrence purposes, and that Pyongyang will not be intimidated by international sanctions.

According to Tuoi Tre newspaper