The defence system, which President Donald Trump plans to unveil by the end of his term, is aimed at countering "next-generation" aerial threats to the US, including ballistic and cruise missiles.

Pyongyang's foreign ministry slammed the plan as "the height of self-righteousness [and] arrogance", state media reported. It accused Washington of being "hell-bent... to militarise outer space" and warned that the plan might spark "a global nuclear and space arms race".

North Korea considers Washington an adversary and has routinely condemned joint military drills between the US and South Korea. Pyongyang probably sees the Golden Dome as a threat that can "significantly weaken" its nuclear arsenal, Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP news agency.  "If the US completes its new missile defence programme, the North will be forced to develop alternative means to counter or penetrate it," he said. (BBC)