North Korea, Wednesday evening launched a long-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of ​​Japan, a day after South Korean officials announced that the North was preparing to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which would have had flight time the longest of all the previous ones. test.

Reuters reported that the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was launched at a sharply high angle at 7:10 a.m. local time from an area near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

The Japanese government later said the missile fell into the sea at 8:37 a.m., 87 minutes later.

from Japan minister of defense, General Nakatani said the flight time was probably the longest of all North Korean missile launches and that it could be a new type of missile.

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE OFF EAST COAST, SEOUL SAYS

North Korea reportedly launched a long-range ballistic missile towards the Sea of ​​Japan. (KIM Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“The North Korean ballistic missile is believed to be a long-range ballistic missile fired from a high angle,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

THE Japanese government said the missile would land about 190 miles west of Okushiri Island, off the coast of the northern Hokkaido region and outside its exclusive economic zone.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba later said no damage had been reported following the missile launch.

Nakatani said Japan strongly condemns North Korea’s action, which threatens not only Japan but also the international community.

SOUTH KOREA DECLARES NORTH KOREAN LAUNCH OF POSSIBLE HYPERSONIC MISSILE FAILED MID-FLIGHT

FILE – In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, supervises artillery firing exercises in North Korea on March 7, 2024. (Korea Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

The defense of South Korea The Intelligence Command said Wednesday that North Korea had placed a mobile launcher in preparation for launching what could be an ICBM around the time of next Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election.

The National Security Council (NSC) issued a statement late Wednesday strongly condemning North Korea’s ICBM test.

“This launch constitutes a blatant violation of several UN Security Council resolutions. Although US INDOPACOM has determined that it does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel, its territory or our allies, this launch increases “unnecessarily raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the country and the region,” said NSC spokesperson Sean Savett. “This simply demonstrates that the DPRK continues to prioritize its illegal weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people.”

Savett added: “We urge all countries to condemn these violations and call on the DPRK to cease its destabilizing actions and engage in serious dialogue. The national security team coordinates closely with our allies and partners. The United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and the Republic of Korea and Japan’s allies. »

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Although North Korea tested a ballistic missile on July 1, 2024, the last time it tested an ICBM was in December last year. The December ICBM – powered by solid fuel and fired from a road launcher – was also fired at a steeply high angle and had a flight time that could be translated to about 9,300 miles on a normal trajectory, which, added Reuters, could put it anywhere. on the American continent, within range.

Reuters contributed to this report.