North Korea ballistic missile launch draws condemnation

North Korea on Thursday launched an intercontinental ballistic missile at the order of leader Kim Jong Un, state media KCNA said, adding that its flight records exceeded previous tests. 

The agency reported that Kim was present at the site.

"The test-fire is an appropriate military action that fully meets the purpose of informing the rivals... of our counteraction will," Kim said at the launch, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

The launch came a day after South Korea's military intelligence agency told lawmakers that North Korea has likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test. The intelligence said the North was close to testing a long-range missile capable of reaching the United States.

Germany, EU, UN condemn launch

The European Union and the UN wasted no time condemning the launch, with EU top diplomat Josep Borrell saying it showed North Korea's intent to develop the means to deliver weapons of mass destruction.

EU member Germany called the launch "illegal."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released a statement saying he: "strongly condemns the launch today of a long-range ballistic missile by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The DPRK's continued launches of missiles using ballistic missile technology are clear violations of relevant Security Council resolutions."

Reuters news agency on Thursday reported a likely meeting of the Security Council on Monday to discuss the matter, saying it was requested by France, Japan, Malta, Slovenia, South Korea, the UK and the US.  

North Korea has been under UNSC sanctions since 2006.

South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, his US counterpart Antony Blinken and Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya called Pyongyang's latest launch a "flagrant violation" of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

South Korea, Japan earlier detected missile

Earlier on Thursday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea had fired a ballistic missile toward the North's eastern waters.

"It is believed the North Korea ballistic missile is a long-range ballistic missile fired at a high angle," the Joint Chiefs of Staff had said in a statement.

The Japanese Coast Guard also said North Korea had fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile. The Japanese government said the missile was expected to land at around 2336 GMT, some 300 kilometers (190 miles) west of Japan's Okushiri Island.

"Around 7:11 a.m. today (2217 GMT Wednesday) North Korea launched at least one ICBM-class ballistic missile from an area near Pyongyang toward the northeast," Japanese Defense Minister General Nakatani told reporters, adding that its flying distance was estimated at about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and its highest altitude more than 7,000 kilometers.

The missile had the "longest flying time" yet for North Korea, Nakatani said, adding that he thinks "it may be different from conventional missiles."

The United States was quick to condemn the launch of the ballistic missile by North Korea.

North Korea ramps up weapons program

Since 2022,  Pyongyang has sharply increased the pace of its weapons tests.

In September 2023, North Korea enshrined nuclear weapons in its constitution, with the motion unanimously rubber-stamped in parliament.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said at the time it was "very important" to "accelerate the modernization of nuclear weapons in order to hold the definite edge of strategic deterrence."

Last month, North Korea said Kim had supervised the testing of two different missiles, including one that would carry a "super-large conventional warhead."

The other missile tested was referred to as a "strategic" cruise missile, indicating that it could have been testing nuclear capacity.

On Thursday, South Korea's Foreign Ministry announced that it was imposing new export controls on materials used in the manufacture of solid-fuel missiles to curb North Korea's development of ballistic missiles.

The ministry said in a statement that the controls would reinforce existing international export restrictions targeting North Korea.

US and South Korea wary of North Korean troops in Russia

Thursday's development came just a few hours after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin alleged that North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment were en route to the Russian region of Kursk, near Ukraine.

Speaking alongside South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Austin said "the likelihood is pretty high" that Moscow will deploy North Korean troops in combat.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said on Thursday that the US expects North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk region to start fighting against Ukraine in the coming day.

He added that 10,000 North Korean soldiers were already in Russia, with as many as 8,000 in Kursk.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Austin and their South Korean counterparts, Blinken said Russia had been training North Korean troops in artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles, and basic infantry operations.

"We've not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we would expect that to happen in the coming days," he said, adding that should they enter the battlefield, they would become legitimate military targets.

Concerns are growing over North Korea's deployment of as many as 12,000 troops to aid Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

jsi/wd (AP, AFP, Reuters)