With eye on Pyongyang, US conducts missile defense test

The US said Tuesday that it had successfully carried out a test of its THAAD missile defense system, shooting down a simulated ballistic missile that had been launched over the Pacific. The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said the demonstration "bolsters the country's defensive capability against developing missile threats in North Korea and other countries". The test came a week after Pyongyang conducted its first-ever successful test of an ICBM. The US deployed THAAD launchers in South Korea earlier this year to provide protection against North Korean missiles.