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North Korea Conducts ‘Crucial Test’ for Nuclear Deterrent

  • Latest military exercise marks Pyongyang’s second in a week
  • North Korea’s Kim puts pressure on U.S. as his deadline nears
Kim Jong-Un, right, at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in this photograph released by  North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 19, 2017.

Kim Jong-Un, right, at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in this photograph released by  North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 19, 2017.

Source: KCNA/KNS/AFP via Getty Images

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North Korea said it successfully conducted a “crucial” test at a long-range projectile launch site and had boosted its nuclear-deterrent capabilities. It didn’t provide any details about the exercise.

The news follows a North Korean announcement last week that it held a “very important test,” without elaborating. South Korea’s military believes the North tested an engine for its ballistic missiles last Saturday.