North Korea fires missile; South condemns 'grave provocation'

SEOUL/TOKYO: North Korea fired what might be a new model of ballistic missile on Thursday, South Korea said, triggering a scare in northern Japan, where residents were told to take cover, though there turned out to be no danger.

The missile flew about 1,000 km (620 miles), South Korea’s military said, calling it a “grave provocation”.

The missiles’ apogee, or maximum altitude, has not been officially disclosed, though South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said it appeared to have been less than 3,000km – far below the height of some tests last year, which topped 6,000km.

The South Korean military said it was on high alert and coordinating closely with its main ally, the United States, which “strongly condemned” what the White House said in a statement was a long-range ballistic missile test.

A South Korean military official said the test apparently involved a new weapons system displayed at a recent North Korean military parades.

The military was analysing the projectile’s trajectory and range, and the defence ministry said it could have been a solid-fuel missile.

North Korea has been working to build more solid-fuel missiles, which are easier to store and transport, and can be launched with almost no warning or preparation time.

While North Korea has tested short-range solid-fuel missiles, it has not tested a long-range missile of that type, said Bruce Bennett, a senior defence analyst at the U.S.-based RAND Corporation.

The missile was fired at 7:23 a.m. (2223 GMT on Wednesday) from near Pyongyang, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, meaning it could have been launched from an international airport close to the capital, a major site for test-firing large missiles since 2017.