North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the sea on Monday in a resumption of its high-profile weapons testing activities, its neighbors said, as the North vows strong responses against US and South Korean moves to boost their nuclear deterrence plans.
South Korea's military said the missile was launched on an elevated angle, an apparent attempt to avoid neighboring countries.
The statement called the launch “a grave provocation” that threatens international peace. It also noted the launch violated UN Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic missile activities by North Korea.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said it also spotted a ballistic missile launch by North Korea.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that he had so far received no report of injuries or damages from the missile launch and that he planned to hold a National Security Council meeting to discuss the test.
The launch, the North's first ICBM test-flight in about five months, was its second weapons firing in less than a day.
On Sunday night, the North launched a short-range ballistic missile, also into the water off its east coast, according to South Korean, Japanese and US governments.
South Korea's military said the short-range missile flew about 570 kilometers (354 miles) before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The range is enough to reach key sites in South Korea, including US military installations there.
The US military said the launch highlighted “the destabilising impact of (North Korea's) illicit weapons program.”
Senior US and South Korean officials met in Washington on Friday for their second Nuclear Consultative Group meeting.
They agreed to update their nuclear deterrence and contingency strategies and incorporate nuclear operation scenarios in their combined military exercises next summer, according to Seoul officials.
The consultative body is responsible for sharing information on nuclear and strategic weapons operation plans and joint operations, though the US will retain operational control of its nuclear weapons.
Animosities between the two Koreas further deepened after North Korea launched its first military reconnaissance satellite into space November 21 in violation of UN bans.
