South Korea fires multiple missiles in response to North Korea's rocket launch, its military says

South Korea has fired multiple missiles in response to North Korea’s earlier intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch, its military has said.

Japan’s coast guard earlier said North Korea launched a projectile which landed inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), 170 km (106 miles) west of Aomori prefecture in northern Japan, at 3.44 pm (6.44am GMT).

The South Korean military said that it was ready and capable of precision strikes against the location where North Korea launched its missile, if needed, after it conducted a live-fire test of multiple ballistic and tactical missiles in what it called an immediate response.

The ICBM launch on Thursday by North Korea is thought to be its largest test ever, militaries in South Korea and Japan said.

It would be the first full-capability launch of the nuclear-armed state’s largest missiles since 2017, and represents a major step in the North’s development of weapons.

The suspected missile launch – the country’s 11th test of the year – comes after North Korea had announced a self-imposed moratorium on ICBM testing following two summits between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then US President Donald Trump.

On Thursday the White House condemned the latest launch and called it a “brazen violation” of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

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In a statement, press secretary Jen Psaki added: “This action demonstrates that the DPRK continues to prioritize its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people.”

Japanese authorities said the launch by North Korea appeared to be a “new type” of ICBM that flew for about 71 minutes to an altitude of about 6,000km (3,728 miles) and a range of 1,100km (684 miles) from its launch site.

South Korean deputy national security advisor Suh Choo-suk condemned the launch as “a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and a reversal of the moratorium on ICBM launches, which North Korea had promised to the international community”.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the latest North Korean missile was launched from near Sunan, where Pyongyang’s international airport is located.

Earlier this month, analysis of satellite images suggested that construction activity at North Korea’s nuclear testing ground had resumed, nearly four years after leader Kim Jong Un declared the facility had been closed.

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