North Korea fires ballistic missile into East Sea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (center) inspects a test launch of a Hwasong-11da-4.5, a ballistic missile with a super-large 4.5-ton warhead, in this image released by Pyongyang's state-run Korea Central News Agency on Sept. 18, 2024.

SEOUL, October 31 (AJP) - North Korea fired a missile suspected to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the East Sea on Thursday, shortly after South Korea and the United States condemned Pyongyang's arms trade with Russia during a Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Washington, D.C.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that the projectile launched by North Korea is likely an ICBM. "The military detected a ballistic missile fired from a site near Pyongyang at about 7:10 a.m. (2210 GMT) this morning. We suspect that it is an ICBM launched at a high angle," the JCS said.

The JCS added, "The military has heightened its alert level and is maintaining a fully prepared posture, closely sharing information with U.S. and Japanese authorities regarding North Korea's ballistic missile."

This test launch is Pyongyang's first in 43 days, following the Sept. 18 launch of a Hwasong-11da-4.5, a ballistic missile with a super-large 4.5-ton warhead, and a cruise missile.