North Korea sparks concern after firing long-range intercontinental ballistic missile

North Korea says it fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from the Pyongyang region on Thursday morning, stirring concern among residents and officials across Asia.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) says the weapon of mass destruction flew about 1,000km before hitting eastern waters, and according to Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, not only did it fly the “highest” altitude in the history of North Korean test missile launches (7,000km), but its longest duration too (86 minutes).

“We see that [North Korea's missile launch] is a strategy to increase their bargaining power at a time when the U.S. presidential election is imminent,” said JCP Public Affairs Director Col. Lee Sung-Jun on Thursday. “North Korea's actions are a threat to our country, region, and to the international community's peace and security,” Hayashi said during a press conference in Tokyo.

The launch follows a storm of condemnation over what U.S. and South Korean officials say is North Korea's deployment of 10,000 troops to Russia and 3,000 of them close to the western frontlines with Ukraine.

Asked if Russia helped North Korea with this latest missile technology development, Kremlin spokesperson declined to comment, saying “It is the sovereign right of Russia and North Korea to develop relations, being neighbouring states.”