North Korea fired what may be a new type of ballistic missile on Thursday, forcing residents on a northern Japanese island to take cover.
The missile flew about 620 miles, South Korea’s military said, calling it a “grave provocation”.
The missile was fired at 7.23am (10.23 GMT on Wednesday) from near Pyongyang, South Korea 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.
It briefly caused confusion in Japan after a government alert system warned residents that the projectile could fall on or close to the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
The alert was retracted when authorities determined that the missile would not fall nearby.
Schools in Hokkaido delayed their opening times and some train services were suspended, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
The South Korean military said it was on high alert and coordinating closely with the US. The White House “strongly condemned” what it said 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.
Japan called a National Security Council meeting in response to the launch.
Its defence minister, Yasukazu Hamada, said the missile appeared to have been fired eastward at a high angle and it did not fall in Japanese territory.
Japan’s coast guard said the projectile had fallen in the sea to the east of North Korea.
Mr Hamada said he could not confirm whether the missile flew over Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for strengthening war deterrence in a “more practical and offensive" manner to counter what North Korea called moves of aggression by the United States.
While condemning the latest in a string of North Korean missile tests, the United States renewed its offer to open talks.
“The door has not closed on diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilising actions and instead choose diplomatic engagement,” US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.
North Korea has criticised recent joint military exercises between US and South Korean forces as escalating tensions, stepping up its weapons tests in recent months.
