▲ This file photo shows Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Oct. 3 (Yonhap) -- The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Saturday the country fired an intermediate-range strategic missile during a firing drill conducted earlier in the day.

"At dawn of this morning, a drill of firing a strategic weapon toward the East Sea of Korea was conducted," Kim Yo-jong said in an announcement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"An intermediate-range strategic missile was used for the drill," she said. Leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the drill by a firepower sub-unit, according to the KCNA.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier detected North Korea firing a ballistic missile toward the East Sea early Saturday morning from the Wonsan area.

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