North Korea missile test - live: South Korea responds with own launches after Pyongyang fires banned ICBM

North Korea’s launch of its first intercontinental ballistic missile in five years has enflamed tensions in the region, with South Korea responding with its own set of live missile tests.

Pyongyang launched an apparent ICBM up to an altitude of some 6,000km before it plunged down into waters inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

It is the first such North Korean launch since 2017, after which a spring of diplomatic summits between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump led the former to declare a self-imposed moratorium on ICBM and nuclear tests.

The prospect of a diplomatic breakthrough has since dimmed. The White House, as well as neighbours Japan and South Korea, condemned today’s launch.

South Korea called it a “clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions” and test-fired a volley of its own smaller ballistic and air-to-ground missiles to demonstrate — it said — that it has the “capability and readiness” to strike targets in North Korea if necessary.

Key Points

• North suspected of testing ’monster missile’ Hwasong-17

• White House condemns North Korea’s ICBM test as ‘brazen’

• South Korea responds to North’s ICBM launch with live missile drill

• North Korea fires first suspected intercontinental ballistic missile in five years

North Korea’s missile exploded mid air on Wednesday, South

12:05 , Shweta Sharma

North Korea test fired an unidentified “projectile” on Wednesday which exploded mid air soon after liftoff, South Korea’s military has said.

The projectile was launched from the Sunan international airport, just outside the North’s capital Pyongyang at around 9.30am (local time), according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. “It is presumed that it failed immediately after launch,” the statement said.

Read Alisha Rehman Sarkar’s full report

North Korea fired ‘ballistic missile’ which exploded mid air, US and South Korea say

North suspected of testing ’monster missile’ Hwasong-17

11:35 , Shweta Sharma

North Korea has not confirmed what missile it fired in Thursday’s test that rocked the Korean peninsula, causing outrage among leaders, including the US.

The unknown missile was said to have flown for 71 minutes to a maximum altitude of 6,200 km (3,853 miles) and a range of 1,080 km (1,738 miles).

It was further and longer than North Korea’s previous banned ICBM test in 2017 when it tested a Hwasong-15 missile that flew for 53 minutes to an altitude of about 4,475 km and range of 950 km.

The missile involved in the latest test is suspected to be Hwasong-17 which is called a “monster missile” by defence analysts.

The previously unseen missile was first unveiled at an unprecedented predawn military parade in October 2020, with analysts noting it appeared “considerably larger” than North Korea‘s 2017 version.

It was later displayed in Pyongyang in October 2021.

The missile was displayed on a transporter vehicle with 11 axles and is one of the largest road-mobile ICBMs in the world if it becomes operational.

Its massive size has prompted analysts to speculate that it can carry multiple warheads and decoys to better penetrate missile defences.

It is also believed that its single missile can drop nuclear warheads on different targets.

Yoon Suk-yeol: Will ‘South Korea’s Donald Trump’ worsen tensions with North Korea?

11:30 , Shweta Sharma

The latest spree of tests by North Korea has caught South Korea as it prepares transition to incoming president Yoon Sung-yeol from the previous Moon Jae-in administration.

In his first televised address on Thursday morning, the new president vowed to counter North Korea with a tougher stance against its “illicit” and “unreasonable” provocations.

Read how analysts fear that Mr Yoon’s confrontational rhetoric could provide Kim Jong-un

Will ‘South Korea’s Donald Trump’ worsen tensions with North Korea?

Japan PM to consider sanctions on North

11:20 , Shweta Sharma

Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida condemned North Korea for conducting its first intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017.

He called it an “unacceptable act of violence” and “unforgivable outrage” from his tour to Brussels for the G7 summit.

“We’ll respond, including (by considering) sanctions, while closely coordinating with related countries such as the United States and South Korea.”

“The act of violence at a time when the international community is holding a big debate on peace and stability is unacceptable,” he said.

Defence expert compares ICBM lofted trajectory tests

11:13 , Shweta Sharma

Defence and military expert Joseph Dempsey has illustrated how North Korea has increased the range of its ballistic missile technology since the last test in 2017.

According to him, the upward trajectory of the latest missile test saw it reach an altitude of about 6000km, covering a distance of around 1000km.

“Geography limits North Korea, testing a ballistic missile beyond around 1000km requires a more provocative overflying another country, namely Japan. North Korea has done this previously but only a handful of times,” he said.

Army says North Korea's test not immediate threat to US

10:47 , Shweta Sharma

The United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) has issued a statement, saying the launch of the banned missile did not pose an immediate threat to US territory or personnel, or its allies.

But it called on North Korea to refrain from further destabilising acts.

“We are aware of the DPRK’s ballistic missile launch today and are consulting closely with the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan, as well as other allies and partners,” it said, referring to the North by its official name.

“While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel, territory, or that of our allies, we will continue to monitor the situation closely. “The United States remains prepared to defend the US homeland and our allies. The US commitment to the defense of the ROK and Japan, remains ironclad,” it added.

White House condemns North Korea’s ICBM test as ‘brazen’

10:30 , Shweta Sharma

The US on Thursday condemned North Korea’s test of a long-range ballistic missile as a brazen violation of UN resolutions.

“This launch is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilising the security situation in the region,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement.

“The door has not closed on diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilising actions.”

North wants to expand nuclear reach over to US: expert

10:29 , Shweta Sharma

Weighing in on North Korea’s latest provocation, Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said Kim Jon-un’s regime wants to expand its nuclear reach to include the US to “deter Washington from coming to the defence of US allies”.

“The Kim regime is determined not only to keep South Korea hostage to military threats that can evade Seoul’s missile defences and preemptive strike capabilities; it aims to expand its nuclear reach over the American homeland,” Mr Easley said.

“The effectiveness of existing sanctions is waning due to lax enforcement by some countries,” he added.

Mr Easley believes that the North would not initiate aggression on the scale of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Pyongyang’s ambitions seem to be to “overturn the postwar security order in Asia”.

“Given China and Russia’s lack of cooperation on the UN Security Council, the US and its allies will likely need to sanction more entities in those countries and elsewhere that are aiding North Korea’s weapons programs.”

South Korea responds to North’s ICBM launch with live missile drill

10:14 , Shweta Sharma

South Korea‘s military has conducted a live-fire test of multiple ballistic and tactical missiles after North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch for the first time in five years.

The South test-fired an array of smaller ballistic and air-to-ground missiles to demonstrate it has the “capability and readiness” to precisely strike missile launch sites.

The South Korean joint chief of staff in a statement said that the test confirmed the military was capable of a precision strike if needed against the location of any North Korean missile launch and its command system.

Read the full report on Seoul’s retaliation here:

South Korea conducts live missile drill after North Korea’s ICBM launch

North Korea fires first suspected intercontinental ballistic missile in five years

10:09 , Shweta Sharma

North Korea has test-fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time since 2017, South Korea and Japan said.

The projectile, fired on Thursday, landed in the sea 170km west of Japan’s northern prefecture of Aomori and inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, authorities said.

This was also the North’s 12th major launch this year, amid rising concerns over its weapons arsenal.

The country has test-fired an unprecedented number of missiles since the beginning of the year, drawing condemnation from its neighbours South Korea and Japan along with the United States.

Read The Independent’s Alisha Rahaman Sarkar’s detailed report

North Korea fires first suspected intercontinental ballistic missile in five years

09:58 , Shweta Sharma

Welcome to The Independent’s live blog on North Korea’s launch of an ICBM for Thursday 24 March.