Image copyright KIM HEE-CHUL Image caption North Korea has carried out several missile and nuclear tests in the past year

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile in the first such test since Donald Trump took office as US president.

Mr Trump assured Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that "America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100%".

The missile flew east towards the Sea of Japan for about 500km (300 miles), South Korean officials say.

Mr Abe said the test was "absolutely intolerable". Japanese officials say the missile did not reach its waters.

Speaking at a joint conference during a visit to the US, Mr Abe added that Mr Trump had also assured him that he was committed to "further enforcing our alliance".

During his election campaign, Mr Trump said US defence commitments to Japan and South Korea were unfair and also called for Japan to pay the full cost of stationing US troops on its soil.

Image copyright AP Image caption Donald Trump said that the US "stands behind Japan 100%"

North Korea has conducted a number of nuclear and missile tests in the past year that continue to alarm and anger the region.

The tests are in contravention of UN resolutions designed to curb the North's nuclear activities.

Sunday's launch took place at 07:55 local time (22:55 GMT Saturday) from the Banghyon air base in North Pyongan province on the west side of the Korean peninsula.

The missile reached an altitude of about 550km (350 miles), the South Korean military said.

The military said it appeared to be a Musudan intermediate-range missile, capable of flying up to 4,000km and reaching the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned that his military was close to testing long-range missiles capable of reaching the United States mainland and carrying nuclear warheads.

Mr Trump derided the claim in a tweet, saying: "It won't happen."

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South Korea's foreign ministry said that "North Korea's repeated provocations show the Kim Jong-un regime's nature of irrationality, maniacally obsessed in its nuclear and missile development".

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga confirmed the missile had not reached Japanese territorial waters, adding that Tokyo would make a "strong protest" to North Korea over the incident.

There has so far been no comment from North Korea.

On a visit to South Korea last week, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said that any use of nuclear weapons by North Korea would be met with an "effective and overwhelming" response.

He also reconfirmed plans to deploy a US missile defence system in South Korea later this year.

North Korea conducted its fifth test of a nuclear device last year, and claims it is capable of carrying out a nuclear attack on the US, though experts are still unconvinced that its technology has progressed that far.</s>North Korea on Sunday test-fired a ballistic missile, an official in the South Korean Ministry of Defense told CNN.

It is the first missile test conducted by North Korea since Donald Trump became US president.

Another source within the Defense Ministry told CNN that North Korea launched a projectile from North Pyongan Province. The missile traveled 500 kilometers (310 miles) and landed in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, sources said.

The launch appears to have involved an intermediate range ballistic missile, a senior US official told CNN.

A State Department official said, “We are aware of reports and monitoring the situation carefully.”

Retired Lt. General Mark Hertling said the test was a step toward an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“That’s the goal of the North Korean politicians,” he said. “This intermediate ballistic missile is certainly dangerous. It has a greater range than some of the Musudan missiles that they have been testing prior to that. And it’s not only a concern for the United States to hit the mainland, but it also has concerns for all of our Asia partners.”

In January, US and South Korean officials told CNN that North Korea might be readying two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for a test launch in the near future.

North Korea has never successfully tested an ICBM, despite repeatedly showing off at military parades what it claims are working missiles. Some experts have publicly doubted whether these long-range missiles are anything but mock-ups.

In August, it test-fired two intermediate ballistic missiles.

North Korea also has test-launched ballistic missiles from submarines.

North Korea is prohibited from carrying out ballistic missile launches under UN Security Council resolutions aimed in part at curbing the country’s development of nuclear weapons.</s>Seoul: North Korea fired a ballistic missile today, South Korea's defence ministry said, the first since Donald Trump became US president.

The missile, launched around 7:55 am (local time) from Banghyon air base in the western province of North Pyongan Province, flew east towards the Sea of Japan, it said.

The presumed intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile was launched at around 7:55 a.m. local time (2255 GMT Saturday) near Banghyeon in North Pyongan province of North Korea, Xinhua news agency reported.

The projectile is estimated to have travelled about 500 km, according to the JCS. It landed in waters off North Korea`s east coast, according to local media reports.

Pyongyang test-fired Musudan missiles near the same place, where an airfield is located, in October last year.

It was North Korea`s first test-launch of a ballistic missile in 2017 and also the first since US President Donald Trump took office on January 20.

South Korea`s military said Pyongyang`s launch of ballistic missile was a provocative act in violation of UN Security Council`s resolutions, which ban North Korea from testing any ballistic missile technology.

The launch, the military believed, was aimed at drawing attention by showing off its nuclear and missile capability and was also part of armed protest against the Trump administration`s hard-line stance toward North Korea.

North Korea in October last year tested Musudan missiles twice that were fired from the same airbase.

Meanwhile, a United States official told media that the test launch conducted by North Korea was probably not an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, provided no further details. A defense official said earlier that the U.S. military had detected the missile launch and was assessing it.</s>North Korea confirms it has “successfully” completed the launch of a new medium-range ballistic missile, the Pukguksong-2. According to North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, the Pukguksong-2 was test-fired on Sunday under the supervision of North Korean leader Kim Jung Un. KCNA also reported Kim was present at the site and personally gave the order for the test-fire.

The launch had been confirmed by South Korean and US officials. This is the first such test by Pyongyang since US President Donald Trump took office.

The missile, which sources said landed in the Sea of Japan, was fired as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited President Trump in the United States.

“North Korea’s most recent missile launch is absolutely intolerable. North Korea must fully comply with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” Abe told a news conference at Palm Beach, Florida.

North Korea is prohibited from carrying out ballistic missile launches under UN Security Council resolutions aimed in part at curbing the country’s development of nuclear weapons.

Trump spoke after Abe and gave a one-sentence statement: “I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100%.”

Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said the fact the launch came as Abe met with Trump made it “a clear provocation to Japan and the region.”

Tokyo has already lodged protests against North Korea via its embassy in Beijing, he said.

KCNA described the missile as a “Korean style new type strategic weapon system, ” capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and capable of “evading interception.” The report by KCNA said Kim “expressed great satisfaction over the possession of another powerful nuclear attack means which adds to the tremendous might of the country.”

“Thanks to the development of the new strategic weapon system, our People’s Army is capable of performing its strategic duties most accurately and rapidly in any space: under waters or on the land,” KCNA reported.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told CNN the missile appeared to be a modified intermediate-range Musudan level missile. Earlier analysis had guessed it to be a shorter-range Rodong.

They ruled out the possibility that it was a longer-range intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM — which are usually designed to carry nuclear warheads — based on the flight distance.

Sources told CNN the missile traveled 500 kilometers (310 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, and that it was launched from North Pyongan Province.

KCNA said the launch “was conducted by the high-angle launching method instead of firing range, taking the security of the neighboring countries into consideration.”

Acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn said: “The South Korean government and the international community are working together to take punitive actions appropriate for this launch.”

Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, spoke to his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan Jin, according to the South Korean President’s office. They condemned the launch and agreed “to seek all possible options” to deter Pyongyang in the future.

Konstantin Kosachev, a chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Federation Council, said North Korea must comply with the UN Security Council resolution, Sputnik reported. But he warned against any “unilateral action by US, South Korea, and Japan” that would add tension to the situation.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg issued a statement on Sunday condemning the launch and saying North Korea “must refrain from further provocations, halt all launches using ballistic missile technology and abandon once and for all its ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, as required by the UN Security Council.”

The European Union, too, condemned North Korea and said that “repeated disregard of its international obligations is provocative and unacceptable” through a statement by the EU’s spokesperson’s office. The statement added., “The high representative/vice-president, Federica Mogherini, will speak in the coming days to the foreign ministers of international partners to further discuss the international response.”

China, North Korea’s only real ally, has not yet commented on the launch.

South Korean security officials held an emergency meeting about the launch.

“Today’s ballistic missile test by North Korea is the first ballistic missile test this year since 24 launches last year,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Cho June-Hyuck.

“This is a clear violation of the (UN Security Council resolution) and threat to peace and security of the Korean peninsula and the entire international community. The government strongly condemns it.”

North Korea conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests in 2016 and a satellite launch that experts said was a sign it has cleared significant hurdles toward ICBM technology. But until Sunday, it hadn’t tested a ballistic missile since October 20.

Step toward missile that can hit US?

In January, US and South Korean officials told CNN that North Korea might be readying two ICBMs for a test launch in the near future, though some analysts dispute how close Pyongang actually is to testing such a missile.

But Ret. Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling said Sunday’s test would help the North Koreans improve their missile technology, and could help in their development of an ICBM.

“That’s the goal of the North Korean politicians,” he said.

“This intermediate ballistic missile is certainly dangerous. It has a greater range than some of the Musudan missiles that they have been testing prior to that. And it’s not only a concern for the United States to hit the mainland, but it also has concerns for all of our Asia partners.”

Hertling said because of the poor accuracy of North Korean missiles, missiles are fired at the Sea of Japan. North Korea wants to see how far the missile will fly and whether it will fall apart.

Pyongyang has been steadily working to improve its missile and weapons capability, conducting a fifth nuclear test in September.

It isn’t clear whether North Korea has the ability yet to put a nuclear warhead on its intermediate-range missiles. But while many experts think North Korea isn’t yet able to make it a global threat, US commanders say they need to be prepared for the possibility.

“Combining nuclear warheads with ballistic missile technology in the hands of a volatile leader like Kim Jong Un is a recipe for disaster,” Adm. Harry Harris, the head of the US military’s Pacific Command, said in a December speech.</s>South Korean defense officials and the U.S. Strategic Command say North Korea test-fired a "medium- or intermediate-range" ballistic missile early Sunday morning local time, which flew eastward for about 300 miles from the west coast of North Korea, over the peninsula and landed in the Sea of Japan. This marks the first missile test by the Kim Jong Un regime since October, and the first under the new Donald Trump presidency.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, appearing in a hastily arranged press conference with Trump following the test, said the move was "absolutely intolerable" and called on North Korea to fully comply with United Nations Security Council resolutions, which forbid Pyongyang from these types of tests.

"The United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent," Trump said, and took no questions.

The U.N. resolution — and repeated sanctions — have failed to curb the Kim regime, which test-fired missiles more than 20 times last year, and more than 50 since Kim Jong Un became leader five years ago.

South Korea convened an emergency national security meeting Sunday morning in response to the launch. South Korea's Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn said Seoul will work with the international community "to punish [the North] accordingly."

"North Korea's repeated provocations show the Kim Jong Un regime's nature of irrationality, maniacally obsessed in its nuclear and missile development," the South's foreign ministry said in a statement.

While the missile tested Sunday did not have the range to reach farther than Guam, North Korea has been racing ahead in developing its nuclear program. North Korea watchers have been on alert for a possible intercontinental ballistic missile test. An ICBM, as it's known, could have be loaded with a nuclear warhead and if successful, could reach the continental United States. As NPR's Geoff Brumfiel noted last month:



"Independent arms control experts agree that North Korea is moving rapidly to develop an ICBM. And many suspect it will test a missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. later this year. "They are very far along in their ICBM testing project," says Melissa Hanham, an East Asia researcher at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. "Probably we will see that they will do a flight test in 2017."



The test comes as the nascent Trump administration's policy on North Korea remains unclear. Trump's team is said to be undergoing a top-to-bottom review of existing U.S. policy on Pyongyang, which President Obama reportedly told Trump during the transition should be the top foreign policy priority on the table for the U.S.</s>US and South Korean officials condemn launch and agree to explore ways to suppress "North Korean provocations".

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile in an apparent provocation to test the response from US President Donald Trump, the South Korean defence ministry said.

US National Security Advisor Michael Flynn requested a call with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after Pyongyang test-fired the missile on Saturday, South Korea's presidential Blue House said in a statement on Sunday.

Trump on Saturday assured Japan it has the full support of the United States following the missile launch.

"I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent," Trump said at a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

READ MORE: US warns North Korea against nuclear attack

In a phone call between Flynn and his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin, the US and South Korea agreed to explore all possible options to rein in North Korean provocations, the Blue House said.

The missile flew about 500km before falling into the sea, a South Korean defence ministry spokesman said, adding the exact type of missile had yet to be identified.

"It is believed that the missile launch ... is aimed at drawing global attention to the North by boasting its nuclear and missile capabilities," the ministry said in a statement.

"It is also believed that it was an armed provocation to test the response from the new US administration under President Trump," it added.

An army official quoted by Yonhap news agency ruled out the possibility of a long-range missile test, describing the device as an upgraded version of the North's short-range Rodong missile.

"The launch also appears to be part of the North's effort to steadily improve its missile capabilities," the official was quoted as saying.

The launch came after Trump assured visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that Washington was committed to the security of its key Asian ally.

"We will work together to promote our shared interests, of which we have many, in the region, including freedom from navigation and defending against the North Korean missile and nuclear threat, both of which I consider a very, very high priority," Trump said Friday.

South Korea's acting president Hwang Gyo-Ahn vowed a "corresponding punishment" in response, while Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suge called the launch "absolutely intolerable".

"Considering the missile was launched immediately after the Japan-US summit, it is clearly a provocation to Japan and the region," Suge told reporters.

The launch came on the heels of a visit to Seoul by new US defence secretary James Mattis last week, who had warned Pyongyang that any nuclear attack would be met with an "effective and overwhelming" response.

"Any attack on the United States or our allies will be defeated and any use of nuclear weapons would be met with a response that would be effective and overwhelming," Mattis said.

North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology but six sets of UN sanctions since Pyongyang's first nuclear test in 2006 have failed to halt its drive for what it insists are defensive weapons.

Last year the country conducted numerous tests and launches in its quest to develop a nuclear weapons system capable of hitting the US mainland.

In January leader Kim Jong-Un boasted that Pyongyang was in the "final stages" of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in an apparent attempt to pressure the incoming US president.

Washington has repeatedly vowed that it would never accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed nation and the latest launch poses a test for Trump, who will need the help of Beijing, Pyongyang's closest ally, to deal with the reclusive state.

Analysts are divided over how close Pyongyang is to realising its full nuclear ambitions, especially as it has never successfully test-fired an ICBM.

But all agree it has made enormous strides in that direction since Kim took over after the death of his father and longtime ruler, Kim Jong-Il, in December 2011.

The young leader is planning a "prime time" nuclear weapons push this year to take advantage of a leadership transition in South Korea - where the president has been impeached - and the US, a high-ranking North Korean defector said recently.

Thae Yong-Ho, a former deputy ambassador to Britain who recently defected to Seoul, said Kim would never trade away the North's nuclear arsenal no matter how large a financial incentive might be offered.</s>North Korea has reportedly fired a ballistic missile, in the first test since Donald Trump took office as US president.

The ballistic missile was launched on Sunday morning and reached an altitude of about 550 kilometers, according to a South Korean military source.

Japanese officials said that the missile did not reach its waters.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the test was “absolutely intolerable” while President Trump assured the visiting Japanese PM that Washington was committed to the security of its key Asian ally.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile had been fired from around Banghyon, in North Pyongan Province, which is where South Korean officials have said the North test-launched its powerful mid-range Musudan missile on October 15 and 20 last year.

The latest missile flew about 500 kilometers and is believed to have fallen into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the missile did not hit Japanese territorial waters.

South Korea’s Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn has threatened to punish North Korea over the move.

According to the South Korean Foreign Ministry, Seoul would make new efforts with its allies, including the US and Japan, to toughen sanctions against the North and make the country realize that it will “never be able to survive” without discarding all of its nuclear and missile programs.

North Korea faced global condemnations and international sanctions following two nuclear tests and a slew of rocket launches last year.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un announced in a 2017 New Year address to the country that the North Korean military was almost ready to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Pyongyang says it is developing its missile and nuclear programs as deterrence against the United States. It says it will not abandon the programs unless the US ends hostilities toward the country.</s>SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's military said Sunday that North Korea fired a projectile into its eastern sea, a likely effort to advance its weapons program while also challenging the young Trump administration in Washington.

The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the projectile was fired from an area in the country's western region around Banghyon, North Pyongan Province, which is where South Korean officials have said the country test launched its powerful midrange missile Musudan on Oct. 15 and 20.

An official from Seoul's Defense Ministry says it isn't clear whether the projectile was a ballistic missile. The official didn't want to be named, citing office rules.

The North conducted two nuclear tests and a slew of rocket launches last year in continued efforts to expand its nuclear weapons and missile programs.

Kim Dong-yeop, an analyst at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, said that the projectile could be a Musudan or a similar rocket designed to test engines for an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the U.S. mainland.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in his annual New Year's address that the North's preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have "reached the final stage."</s>In an implicit challenge to President Donald Trump, North Korea appeared to fire a ballistic missile early Sunday in what would be its first such test of the year.After receiving word of the launch, Trump stood at his south Florida estate with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who called the move "intolerable."There was no immediate confirmation on the launch from the North, which had warned recently that it was ready to test its first intercontinental ballistic missile. The U.S. Strategic Command, however, said it detected and tracked what it assessed to be a medium- or intermediate-range missile.North Korean media are often slow to announce such launches, if they announce them at all. As of Sunday evening, there had been no official announcement and most North Koreans went about their day with no inkling that the launch was major international news.The reports of the launch came as Trump was hosting Abe and just days before the North is to mark the birthday of leader Kim Jong Un's late father, Kim Jong Il.Appearing with Trump at a news conference at Trump's estate, Abe condemned the missile launch as "absolutely intolerable."Abe read a brief statement in which he called on the North to comply fully with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions. He said Trump had assured him of U.S. support and that Trump's presence showed the president's determination and commitment.Trump followed Abe with even fewer words, saying in part: "I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent."South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired from around Banghyon, North Pyongan Province, which is where South Korean officials have said the North test-launched its powerful midrange Musudan missile on Oct. 15 and 20.The military in Seoul said that the missile flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles). South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that while determinations were still being made, it was not believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile.The missile splashed down into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to the U.S. Strategic Command. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the missile did not hit Japanese territorial seas.The North conducted two nuclear tests and a slew of rocket launches last year in continued efforts to expand its nuclear weapons and missile programs. Kim Jong Un said in his New Year's address that the country had reached the final stages of readiness to test an ICBM, which would be a major step forward in its efforts to build a credible nuclear threat to the United States.Though Pyongyang has been relatively quiet about the transfer of power to the Trump administration, its state media has repeatedly called for Washington to abandon its "hostile policy" and vowed to continue its nuclear and missile development programs until the U.S. changes its diplomatic approach.Just days ago, it also reaffirmed its plan to conduct more space launches, which it staunchly defends but which have been criticized because they involve dual-use technology that can be transferred to improve missiles."Our country has clearly expressed its standpoint, that we will continue to build up our capacity for self-defense, with nuclear forces and a pre-emptive strike capability as the main points, as long as our enemies continue sanctions to suppress us," Pyongyang student Kim Guk Bom said Sunday. "We will defend the peace and security of our country at any cost, with our own effort, and we will contribute to global peace and stability."Kim Dong-yeop, an analyst at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, said the missile could be a Musudan or a similar rocket designed to test engines for an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the U.S. mainland. Analysts are divided, however, over how close the North is to having a reliable long-range rocket that could be coupled with a nuclear warhead capable of striking U.S. targets.South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is also the acting president, said his country would punish North Korea for the missile launch. The Foreign Ministry said South Korea would continue to work with allies, including the United States, Japan and the European Union, to ensure a thorough implementation of sanctions against the North and make the country realize that it will "never be able to survive" without discarding all of its nuclear and missile programs.</s>iStock/Thinkstock(PYONGYANG, North Korea) — North Korea fired off a ballistic missile into the East Sea from Banghyeon North Pyongan Province early Sunday, according to South Korean officials.

South Korea’s military is analyzing exactly what type of missile it was but there’s a strong possibility that it was a midrange Musudan type, according to officials.

North Korea has test-fired a total of eight Musudans, but only one was successful last June.

Analysts in Seoul have been expecting some sort of military provocation ahead of late Kim Jong-il’s birthday on February 16 and the largest ever joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea scheduled to begin in two weeks.

The launch Saturday comes only two days after President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe strongly urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and not to take any further provocative actions.

A spokesman for U.S. Strategic Command said assessments were under way as to the type of missile and other details.

This is a developing story. Check back for more.
North Korea test fires a ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan.