North Korea reports having launched missile capable of hitting U.S. territory Guam

North Korea acknowledged Monday having test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of striking the U.S. territory Guam. 

South Korea and Japan first reported Sunday that the Hwasong-12 missile had been launched – making it the seventh nuclear-capable missile having been launched since 2017 by the rogue nation.

The North Korean state news said the missile was fired as a test and took a high trajectory to avoid flying over neighboring countries. The projectile flew just under 500 miles before landing in the sea between Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

When fired on a straight trajectory, the missile has a maximum range of 2,800 miles, which gives it more than enough range to hit Guam, where a number of strategic U.S. military bases and about 7,000 troops are stationed.

The White House says it is preparing to respond to the North's resumption of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile testing in a way "designed to show our commitment to our allies."

The missiles would be the delivery device for a nuclear warhead.