NORTH Korea has fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Japanese and South Korean officials report.
The long-range missile flew for more than an hour before landing short of Japanese waters on Wednesday morning.
Pyongyang’s launch comes after it threatened retaliation against what it said were recent US spy plane incursions over its territory.
Earlier this week it threatened to shoot down such planes.
Washington has dismissed the accusations, saying its military patrols are in line with international law.
Security tensions have ramped up on the peninsula this year after a flurry of missile activity from North Korea.
The US and South Korea have increased joint military drills in the area, in response to Pyongyang’s multiple launches and pledges to increase its weapons development.
North Korea this year has conducted dozens of launches- including of a spy satellite which failed.
In April, it also claimed to have tested its “most powerful” missile to date- a solid-fuel ICBM reportedly easier to launch than a liquid-fuelled version.
On Wednesday morning, both Japanese and South Korean military officials reported Pyongyang’s missile launch near immediately.
While it was still flying, authorities determined it to be a long-range missile.
It flew eastwards from Pyongyang from more than an hour before landing in the sea around 11:15 Japan time, the Japanese Coast Guard reported.
North Korea last test-fired ballistic missiles in mid-June – in response to joint US and South Korean drills. However it also test-fired an ICBM in February.
ICBMs are particularly worrying because of their long range, including mainland United States.
When Pyongyang tested one in November 2022, it fired it at a high-angle, short-range trajectory. But this could have reached the US mainland if it were fired at a lower trajectory, the Japanese government said at that time.