Nuclear-armed North Korea conducted what would be its largest missile test since 2017 on Sunday.
The move seems to be an apparent attempt to put pressure on the Biden administration over long-stalled nuclear negotiations. This also comes as the tensions are rife in Ukraine and there is a possibility of an outbreak of war at any moment.
South Korea reported that the launch took place at 07:52 local time on Sunday (22:52 GMT) off North Korea's east coast.
Japan, South Korea, and the US have all condemned the launch, the seventh test this month.
January was already one of the busiest months on record for North Korea's missile program, with several short-range missiles fired into the sea.
South Korea's National Security Council (NSC), which convened a rare emergency meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in, said the test involved an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), which North Korea has not tested since 2017.
Moon said that with the launch, North Korea was taking a step closer to fully scrapping a self-imposed moratorium on testing its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
The missiles tested earlier this month showed North Korea was developing technology that can defeat the costly and complex missile defense systems that America and Japan have been deploying across this region.
The move seems to be an apparent attempt to put pressure on the Biden administration over long-stalled nuclear negotiations. This also comes as the tensions are rife in Ukraine and there is a possibility of an outbreak of war at any moment.
South Korea reported that the launch took place at 07:52 local time on Sunday (22:52 GMT) off North Korea's east coast.
Japan, South Korea, and the US have all condemned the launch, the seventh test this month.
January was already one of the busiest months on record for North Korea's missile program, with several short-range missiles fired into the sea.
South Korea's National Security Council (NSC), which convened a rare emergency meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in, said the test involved an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), which North Korea has not tested since 2017.
Moon said that with the launch, North Korea was taking a step closer to fully scrapping a self-imposed moratorium on testing its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
The missiles tested earlier this month showed North Korea was developing technology that can defeat the costly and complex missile defense systems that America and Japan have been deploying across this region.
