In a stark warning to North Korea after its successful test of a long-range missile, the top U.S. military commander in South Korea insinuated Wednesday that Seoul and Washington were willing to go to war if provoked.

The unusually blunt statement by Gen. Vincent Brooks, released after the U.S. and South Korean militaries fired off a volley of missiles earlier in the day simulating a precision strike against the North Korean leadership, came after Pyongyang's launch Tuesday of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile.

That missile, which traveled more than 900 km on a "lofted" trajectory before splashing down in the Sea of Japan, hit an altitude of more than 2,800 km, demonstrating that could travel much farther if launched normally.