The missile, which was described by Washington as medium-range, was fired from Pukchang in South Pyongan province and travelled about 500 kilometres (310 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan, according to the South's armed forces. TOKYO—North Korea said it was ready to deploy and start mass-producing a new medium-range missile capable of reaching Japan and major US military bases there following a test launch it claimed confirmed the missile’s combat readiness and was an “answer” to US President Donald Trump’s policies. A spokesman for Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters that South Korean and US intelligence authorities "assess that North Korea secured meaningful data in advancing the reliability of its missile technology through yesterday's missile launch". The February launch, the North’s first missile test after Trump took office, alarmed neighbors because solid-fuel missiles can be fired more quickly than liquid-fuel missiles, which need to be fueled before launch and require a larger number of vehicles, including fuel trucks, that could be spotted by satellites. In an interview with “Fox News Sunday” US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the ongoing testing was “disappointing” and “disturbing.”

South Korea held a National Security Council meeting after the launch, and its foreign ministry said the launch “throws cold water” on efforts to ease tensions on the peninsula. The launch came just one week after the North fired a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile, which according to Pyongyang was capable of carrying a "heavy" nuclear warhead". Sunday’s launch followed one a week earlier of a rocket that flew higher and for a longer time than any missile the North has previously launched and could one day reach targets in Hawaii and Alaska. Kim reportedly said the launch was a success, “approved the deployment of this weapon system for action” and said that it should “be rapidly mass-produced.”

North Korea has significantly speeded up its missile tests over the past year or so and appears to be making tangible progress toward developing an arsenal that poses a threat not only to South Korea and Japan—which together host about 80,000 US troops—but also toward an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the mainland United States. North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year alone, possibly improving its ability to make nuclear weapons small enough to fit on long-range missiles. Pyongyang’s aggressive push to boost its weapons program also makes it one of the most urgent foreign policy concerns for the Trump administration, though Washington has struggled to settle on a policy. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the North’s latest launch “throws cold water” on the expectations by Moon’s government to “stabilize peace and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.”

“Our government is open to the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but will also maintain a stance of firmly responding to provocations,” the ministry said.
South Korea reports North Korea fired a Pukguksong-2 intermediate-range ballistic missile that flew 500 km before landing in the Sea of Japan.