North Korea has carried out another ballistic missile test, days after a new president took office in the South.
Japanese officials say the missile, which launched from north-western Kusong, reached an altitude of 2,000km.
South Korea’s newly elected President Moon Jae-in, who is seeking deeper engagement with the North, said it was a “reckless provocation”.
US President Donald Trump has called for “stronger sanctions” against North Korea, while China is urging restraint.
A series of North Korean missile tests this year – which are banned by the UN – has sparked international alarm and raised tensions with the US.
Two missile launches last month both failed, with the rockets exploding just minutes into flight.
Is it a new type of missile?
The nature of the launch is still being determined, but analysts have said the test could suggest a longer range than previously tested devices.
The Japanese defence minister said it flew for about 30 minutes before falling in the Sea of Japan and could be a new type of missile.
Tomomi Inada said it covered a distance of about 700km (435 miles), reaching an altitude of more than 2,000km (1,245 miles) – higher than that reached by an intermediate-range missile North Korea fired in February.
Experts quoted by Reuters say the altitude meant the missile was launched at a high trajectory, limiting the lateral distance it travelled. They say if it had been fired at a standard trajectory, it would have had a range of at least 4,000km.
The US Pacific Command said in a statement the type was being assessed but that its flight was not consistent with that of an intercontinental ballistic missile [ICBM], which would have the range to reach the US mainland (more than 6,000km).
North Korea is believed to be developing two types of ICBM, but neither has so far been flight tested.
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Source: BBC
