North Korea fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that it detected the launch of what appeared to be a ballistic missile of an intermediate-range class from the area of the North Korean capital Pyongyang on Tuesday at 0653 am (2153 GMT on Monday).
It flew about 600 km (372 miles) before falling into sea, South Korea said, while Japan’s defence ministry estimated it covered a distance of 650 km (400 miles) and hit a maximum altitude of 100 km (62 miles).
The statement from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff did not specify the exact type of missile, but North Korea has been testing a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile powered by a solid-fuel engine.
Japan said the missile appeared to have fallen outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned North Korea for Tuesday’s missile launch that affected the peace and stability of the region, he told reporters.
