North Korea fires missile, possibly ICBM, into sea off east coast

The apparent missile may have landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone, NHK said.

Representational image

Seoul/Tokyo: North Korea fired a missile on Friday in an unusual late-night test launch, and details from Japanese, South Korean and U.S. officials suggested it was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Following the launch, South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered discussions to be held with the United States on deploying additional THAAD anti-missile defense units, his office said.

The launch from North Korea`s northern Jangang province took place at 11:41 p.m. (1441 GMT), an official at South Korea`s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The U.S. Defense Department confirmed the launch. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile flew for about 45 minutes before apparently landing in the waters of Japan`s exclusive economic zone.

"As a result of their launches of ICBM-level missiles, this clearly shows the threat to our nation`s safety is severe and real," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

Abe said he would convene Japan`s National Security Council.

Following a meeting of South Korea`s National Security Council, Moon said he wanted the United Nations Security Council to discuss new and stronger sanctions against the North, the presidential Blue House said.

The European Union called the launch "an outright violation" of international obligations and a "serious threat" to international peace and security, and urged North Korea to engage in dialogue to pursue denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini would discuss the matter with the foreign ministers of South Korea and other partners at the ASEAN ministerial meeting in Manila on Aug 6-7.

`U.S. CITIES WITHIN RANGE`

Japanese broadcaster NHK, citing a military official, said the missile reached an altitude of more than 3,000 km (1,860 miles).

South Korean military said the missile was believed to be an ICBM-class, flying more than 1,000 km and reaching an altitude of 3,700 km. In Washington, the U.S. Pentagon also said it had assessed that the missile was an ICBM.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said the launch had been expected and took place from Mupyong-ni, an arms plant in northern North Korea. Davis said the launch did not pose a threat to North America.

The data on the trajectory indicate the missile was fired at a sharply lofted angle but packed more power than a missile launched earlier this month that U.S and South Korean officials said was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), potentially capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies said the launch showed Los Angeles was within range of a North Korean missile, with Chicago, New York and Washington DC just out of reach.

"They may not have demonstrated the full range. The computer models suggest it can hit all of those targets," he said.

The North claimed after the July 4 launch that it had successfully tested an ICBM that flew 933 km (580 miles), reaching an altitude of 2,802 km over a flight time of 39 minutes and able to carry a large and heavy nuclear warhead.

The night launch, which was not unprecedented, was significant in demonstrating the ability to disguise the launch, Lewis said.

"A launch from an unexpected place at night demonstrates that we can`t find the missile before they fire it. My guess is the North Koreans wanted to show us that they weren`t trying to hide the launch, but can if they want," Lewis said.