Japan Says North Korea Launched Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile that belonged to the "class of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) towards the Sea of ​​Japan", the Japanese Defense Minister assured today.

"North Korea launched at least one ICBM-class ballistic missile from an area near Pyongyang towards the northeast" on Thursday at around 10:17 pm (Lisbon time), Gen Nakatani said.

Speaking to the press, the minister added that the flight distance was estimated at around a thousand kilometers, with a maximum recorded altitude of more than seven thousand kilometers.

Nakatani also highlighted that the missile may have been a new type, as the flight duration, 86 minutes, and altitude exceeded data from previous tests carried out by North Korea.

Japan's Coast Guard confirmed that the missile landed outside the country's exclusive economic zone, about 300 kilometers west of Okushiri Island in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said North Korea could have tested a new long-range solid-fuel ballistic missile.

Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and conceal and can be launched more quickly than liquid-fueled weapons.

The JCS spokesperson said the launch was possibly timed with the US presidential elections, scheduled for November 5, in mind, in an attempt to strengthen North Korea's bargaining power.

Lee Sung Joon said the North Korean missile was launched from a high angle, apparently to avoid neighboring countries.

The US National Security Council spokesperson called the launch "a flagrant violation" of several UN Security Council resolutions that "unnecessarily heightens tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region."

Sean Savett said the US will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of US territory and that of South Korean and Japanese allies.

The launch followed a meeting held in Washington between US and South Korean Defense Ministers Lloyd Austin and Kim Yong-hyun, respectively.

At that meeting, both leaders condemned the sending of North Korean troops to Russia, which, according to Austin, had already approached the Ukrainian front and are equipped with Russian uniforms and materials.

North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles on September 18, a test in which it said it had successfully tested a new tactical projectile capable of carrying a large warhead.