N Korea defends missile launches as defence against US threats

North Korea has defended its recent spate of ballistic missile launches as a legitimate defence against what it called a decades-old threat by United States military forces.

The missile launches had also not harmed the safety of civil aviation or posed a threat to neighbouring countries, North Korea’s State-run KCNA news agency said on Saturday, citing officials and a statement from the country’s aviation authorities.

Pyongyang’s statement comes in response to recent criticism by the United Nation’s civil aviation authority over North Korea’s six missile launches in a 12-day period, including an intermediate-range ballistic missile that flew over Japan on Tuesday.