North Korea has accused the United Sates of threatening war with its missile defense test.

Pyongyang vowed Saturday to strengthen its own self-defense to counter a U.S. attack.

The U.S. military said Friday it had shot down a target missile in a test of an anti-missile shield over the Pacific Ocean.

The head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, General Henry Obering, said the test made him more confident that the United States could intercept a missile launched by a rival state.

Pyongyang's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said in a statement on state radio, the test was "aimed at attacking us and intercepting our missiles."

U.S. military officials said Friday that a redesigned kill vehicle successfully spotted an incoming missile and distinguished between its booster and its warhead. The intercept missile also hit and destroyed the target missile.

Missile tests by Pyongyang earlier this year, though largely unsuccessful, caused alarm because the potential target range of one of the missiles included the United States.

Officials say they will test the program again later this year.