North Korea's apparently successful launch of a mid-to-long range missile indicated a significant advance in its drive for an intercontinental ballistic missile, monitors said this morning, a worrying sign for the Korean peninsula and the United States.
The isolated North has said that the launch yesterday, supervised by leader Kim Jong-un, was aimed at verifying the capability to carry a "large scale heavy nuclear warhead".
Mr Kim accused the United States of "browbeating" countries that "have no nukes" and warned the US not to misjudge the reality that its mainland is in the North's "sighting range for strike", the North's official KCNA news agency reported.
However, the US military's Pacific Command said on the type of missile that was fired was "not consistent" with an ICBM and South Korea's military played down the North's claim of technical progress on atmospheric re-entry.
"We believe the possibility of that is low," said Roh Jae-cheon, a spokesman for South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The missile landed in the sea near Russia yesterday in a launch that the US called a message to South Korea, days after its new president took office pledging to engage North Korea in dialogue.
Moon Jae-in responded this morning by sending special envoys to the United States, China, Germany, Japan and Russia to explain his new government's plans and policy towards the defiant North.
North Korea has been working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States, a flight of 8,000km, presenting US President Donald Trump with perhaps his most pressing security issue.
Mr Trump said last month that major conflict with North Korea was possible but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome.
He has also vowed to prevent North Korea from being able to hit the US with a nuclear missile, a capability experts say North Korea could have some time after 2020.
The latest missile launch suggested the North had taken a step in that direction, analysts said.
The new ballistic missile, named Hwasong-12, was fired at the highest possible angle to avoid affecting neighbouring countries' security and flew 787km after reaching an altitude of 2,111km, KCNA said.
Those details were largely consistent with South Korean and Japanese assessments and indicated the missile flew higher and further than an intermediate-range missile test-fired from the same area in North Korea's northwest in February.
North Korea is banned under United Nations resolutions from engaging in nuclear and missile development, but has conducted its fifth nuclear test and a string of missile launches since the start of last year.
The UN Security Council is due to meet tomorrow to discuss the North's latest missile launch, diplomats said, at the request of the United States, South Korea and Japan.
