Defying calls to rein in its weapons programme, North Korea yesterday fired a ballistic missile that landed in the sea near Russia, days after a new leader in South Korea came to power pledging to engage Pyongyang in dialogue.
The US military’s Pacific Command said it was assessing the type of missile that was fired but it was “not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile”.
The US threat assessment has not changed from a national security standpoint, a US official said.
Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada said the missile could be a new type.
It flew for 30 minutes before dropping into the sea between North Korea’s east coast and Japan.
North Korea has consistently test-fired missiles in that direction.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the missile landed 97km south of Russia’s Vladivostok region.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called the launch a message by Pyongyang to South Korea after the election of President Moon Jae-in.
“You first have to get into Kim Jong-un’s head — which is, he’s in a state of paranoia, he’s incredibly concerned about anything and everything around him,” Haley told ABC’s This Week programme, referring to North Korea’s leader.
Haley added that the United States will “continue to tighten the screws,” referring to sanctions and working with the international community to put pressure on Pyongyang.
The White House mentioned Russia in its earlier statement about the launch. “With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil — in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan — the president cannot imagine that Russia is pleased,” the White House said, referring to US President Donald Trump.
The launch served as a call for all nations to implement stronger sanctions against North Korea, it added.
The missile flew 700km and reached an altitude of more than 2,000km, according to officials in South Korea and Japan, further and higher than an intermediate-range missile North Korea successfully tested in February from the same region of Kusong, northwest of its capital, Pyongyang.
An intercontinental ballistic missile is considered to have a range of more than 6,000km.
North Korea is widely believed to be developing an intercontinental missile tipped with a nuclear weapon that is capable of reaching the United States.
Trump has vowed not to let that happen.
Experts said the altitude reached by the missile tested yesterday meant it was launched at a high trajectory, which would limit the lateral distance it travelled.
But if it was fired at a standard trajectory, it would have a range of at least 4,000km, experts said.
Kim Dong-yub of Kyungnam University’s Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul said he estimated a standard trajectory would give it a range of 6,000km.
“The launch may indeed represent a new missile with a long range,” said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, referring to the estimated altitude of more than 2,000km. “It is definitely concerning.”
Speaking in Beijing, Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, told reporters Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping had discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula, including the latest missile launch, and expressed “mutual concerns” about growing tensions.
Putin is in Beijing for a conference on a plan for a new Silk Road. Delegations from the United States, South Korea and North Korea are also there. 
The launch, at 5.27am Seoul time came two weeks after North Korea fired a missile that disintegrated minutes into flight, marking its fourth consecutive failure since March.
South Korea’s new president Moon held his first National Security Council in response to the launch, which he called a “clear violation” of UN Security Council resolutions, his office said.
“The president said while South Korea remains open to the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, it is only possible when the North shows a change in attitude,” Yoon Young-chan, Moon’s press secretary, told a briefing.