North Korea fires missile near Japan

North Korea has launched what could be its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) since November 2017, breaking a self-imposed moratorium and drawing stern reactions from the United States and its allies.

The missile, which marks Pyongyang's 12th show of force this year, was detected yesterday afternoon by South Korea and Japan.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missile was launched from Pyongyang's Sunan airfield at 2.34pm (Korea time) and flew about 1,080km towards the east, reaching an altitude of over 6,200km.

Japan said the missile seems to be a "new type" of ICBM capable of reaching the US east coast. It flew for about 1,100km over 71 minutes to land inside Japan's exclusive economic zone off the northern Aomori prefecture.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida denounced the test as an "unforgivable outrage". He said: "These series of actions taken by North Korea threaten the peace and security of our country, the region and the international community."

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called the launch a "clear violation" of United Nations Security Council resolutions that "causes a serious threat to the Korean peninsula and beyond". He urged Pyongyang to stop raising tensions and return to the dialogue table.

The JCS also voiced disapproval and, in response, fired missiles from the ground, sea and air towards waters in the east coast, in a show of force against the North.

The US State Department said: "We stand with the international community to call on the DPRK to refrain from further provocations and engage in sustained and substantive dialogue." DPRK, or Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is North Korea's official name.

"Our commitment to the defence of (South) Korea and Japan remains ironclad. We have been and will continue to coordinate closely with our allies and partners to address the threats posed by the DPRK, and to advance our shared objective of the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula," said spokesman Ned Price.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the launch "needlessly raises tensions".

"The door has not closed on diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilising actions," she said in a statement.

Dialogue between North Korea and the US has stalled since the 2019 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and former US president Donald Trump broke down due to differences over sanctions relief and denuclearisation actions.

Both sides left the option to return to dialogue open. But since January, Pyongyang has accelerated its pace of missile testing and hinted it will restart "all temporarily suspended activities", referring to its 2018 moratorium on testing ICBMs and nuclear weapons.

Dr Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute think-tank said North Korea has been expected to launch an ICBM as a "cannon" to mark the late founder Kim Il Sung's 110th birthday on April 15. "Since the US-Russia relationship is currently at its worst, North Korea deems that Russia will not cooperate if the US attempts to adopt super-strong sanctions against the North for firing an ICBM," he said.

He said yesterday's missile is likely the new Hwasong-17, unveiled in October 2020 but not yet tested. He added that it can fly an estimated 15,000km with a warhead weighing less than one tonne.

This makes it more powerful than the Hwasong-15, tested in November 2017, which can travel 12,500km with a 600kg warhead.

Estimates show the Hwasong-15 is capable of striking the US mainland, including Washington.

"North Korea may not have the technology (for missiles) to re-enter the atmosphere yet, but you can tell that its ICBM technology is advancing at a very fast pace," said Dr Cheong.

Associate professor of international studies Leif-Eric Easley at Ewha Womans University said Pyongyang attaches "political legitimacy to developing missiles".

He noted that North Korea had kept mum about a failed missile launch last week, but "likely wanted a major success before upcoming political anniversaries in April".