Coinciding with the start of the inter-Korean summit, the U.S. Defense Department said Tuesday it conducted a successful ground-based ballistic missile test in defense against a missile threat from North Korea. The North’s only nationwide TV network Korean Central Television Station denounced the test, saying the U.S. “invited international criticism and protest” by trying to establish a missile defense system.

The director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, told reporters Tuesday, “The way we do that is we launch a target from Alaska -- in this case Kodiak Island, Alaska -- we fly it down toward the South Pacific, and we intercept with an interceptor out of California, Vandenberg Air Force Base, which also happens to have operational interceptors in silos there on the base.” He added the target fired about 24 minutes before being hit by an interceptor missile whose flight time was seven minutes. The latest defense missile test was the 38th since 2001 and the 30th successful one. A similar test in May failed.

The North Korean broadcaster reported it immediately, showing an unusually sensitive reaction.

(englishnews@chosun.com )