North Korea has launched a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile off its east coast.
This came days after it threatened the US with “shocking” response for conducting reconnaissance flights while violating the country’s airspace.
The long-range missile was fired on Wednesday at around 10 am local time (01:00 GMT) from the Korean Peninsula hundreds of kilometers into the sea east of the land as the US-led NATO military alliance members took part in a Summit in Lithuania along with their Asia-Pacific allies, according to South Korea and Japan.
“The ballistic missile was fired on a lofted trajectory and flew 1,000 km before splashing down in the East Sea,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) declared, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
North Korea has carried out numerous missile tests in response to joint war games by US and South Korean military forces near its territorial waters.
Earlier this year, it launched its first-ever solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and tried to put its first reconnaissance satellite into orbit, though the mission failed.
South Korea described the Wednesday’s launch as “a grave provocation that damages the peace and security of the Korean peninsula”, calling on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear and missile development programs.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters it flew for about 74 minutes, reaching an altitude of 6,000 km.
The country’s coast guard confirmed that the missile fell into the sea east of the Korean peninsula.
