North Korea fires missile that may have been new type of weapon

TIL Desk/World/Seoul/ North Korea on Thursday conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile launch in a month, possibly testing a new more mobile, harder-to-detect missile for the first time, its neighbours said, as it extends its provocative run of weapons tests.

 Japan briefly urged residents on a northern island to take shelter in an indication of its vigilance over North Korea’s evolving missile threats.

 The missile was launched on a high angle from near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and fell in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan following a 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) flight, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staffs said in a statement.

 It described its range as medium or longer. The US National Security Council called it a long-range missile and Japan’s government said it likely had an intercontinental range.

 South Korea’s military believes North Korea launched a new type of ballistic missile, possibly using solid fuel, a defense official said under the condition of anonymity because of office rules.