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 concerns have ramped up on the peninsula this year after North Korea tested new weapons. The country also conducted a record number of missile launches in 2022 including ones capable of reaching US territory.
In response, the US and South Korea have increased their joint military drills around the peninsula.
Pyongyang so far has continued with its missile launches – testing a new ICBM in April which it described as its “most powerful” missile to date. It also tried to launch a spy satellite in May which failed.
Credit: bbc.com
