North Korea said it carried out a hypersonic missile launch drill on Sunday, a day before  summit talks between Seoul and Beijing and shortly after U.S. military strikes on Venezuela and the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro.

The North’s state‑run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) reported on Monday that hypersonic missiles launched from Pyongyang’s Ryokpho District toward the northeast struck designated targets one-thousand kilometers away in the East Sea.

Leader Kim Jong‑un observed the drill and reportedly stressed that repeatedly demonstrating the readiness and lethality of strategic strike capabilities is an important and effective way to exercise war deterrence.

He added that such activities are aimed at steadily strengthening the nation’s nuclear deterrent, saying that “recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events” highlight the need for continued efforts.

KCNA did not elaborate on what Kim meant, but the comments were widely interpreted as referring to the situation in Venezuela.

KCNA said the drill was intended to assess the readiness of the hypersonic weapons system, improve the proficiency of missile‑firing units and evaluate the sustainability and effectiveness of North Korea’s war deterrence capabilities.