North Korea's foreign ministry vowed the "toughest counteraction" against the United States as long as Washington "refuses" the country's sovereignty.

North Korea has test-fired sea-to-surface strategic cruise guided missiles, the North's state media reported Sunday, quoting Kim as saying that Pyongyang's deterrence means are being perfected.

The DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In a statement later in the day, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles from inland areas towards waters off the west coast at around 4 p.m. (0700 GMT) on Saturday.

North Korea conducted a test of strategic cruise missiles from the sea, overseen by Kim Jong Un, KCNA reports. North Korea conducted a test of strategic cruise missiles from the sea on Saturday. This information was reported by the North Korean agency KCNA on Sunday morning local time.

Kim Jong Un oversaw the missile test — the first since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Trump has said he would reach out to Kim in his second term.

The action suggested North Korea will likely maintain its its confrontational stance against the U.S. for now, even though President Donald Trump said he intends to reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea test-fired strategic cruise missiles on Saturday the official Korean Central News Agency reported, marking a third launch this month as Donald Trump returned to power in the US.

North Korea has tested sea-to-surface strategic cruise guided missiles, Pyongyang's state media reported on Sunday. State-controlled KCNA news agency quoted the country's Missile Administration as stating the test-fire,