North Korea defended its missile tests as its legitimate right to self-defence and said the United States is intentionally escalating the situation by imposing new sanctions, state media reported on Friday, citing the foreign ministry.

North Korea's recent development of a "new-type weapon" was just part of its efforts to modernise its national defence capability and did not target any specific country or harm the security of neighbouring countries, a spokesperson for North Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA.