North Korea has test-fired its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile that has the potential to reach the United States, extending a record-breaking number of weapons tests this year and triggering further international condemnation.
South Korea said the North fired an ICBM that used solid fuel, which makes missiles easier to transport and faster to fire than liquid-fuelled versions.
Today's launch was the third time the North had tested a solid-fuel ICBM, after launches in April and July, which analysts said signalled consistent efforts to improve the technology.
North Korea had said the previous two were "Hwasong-18" missiles but did not immediately comment on today's launch.
The United States, South Korea and Japan all quickly condemned the missile test, stating it was in breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions and would make the Korean peninsula less secure.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered an "immediate and overwhelming" countermeasure, and called for a joint response with the United States and Japan.
Japan's defence ministry said the ICBM had a potential range of more than 15,000km, which would cover all of the United States. It followed a short-range missile launch last night.
"(The launches are) not only a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions but also a threat to peace and stability of the region and we strongly condemn," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
The United Nations Security Council has adopted many resolutions calling on North Korea to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes since it first conducted a nuclear test in 2006.
However China, a close ally of North Korea, offered no direct response to the latest launches and instead released a statement highlighting the deep trust between the two nations.
"In the face of the turbulent international situation, China and the DPRK have always firmly supported and trusted each other," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after meeting an official from Pyongyang, using the official acronym for North Korea.
South Korea's military initially said it had detected the launch of a long-range ballistic missile from the Pyongyang area this morning that flew 1,000km before splashing down in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
The South reported the missile flew up rather than across, a method Pyongyang has previously said it employs in some weapons tests to avoid flying over neighbouring countries.
North Korea last year declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power and has repeatedly said it will never give up its nuclear programme, which the regime views as essential for its survival.
