SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of -- North Korea on Sunday test-launched a ballistic missile that flew for half an hour and reached an unusually high altitude before landing in the Sea of Japan, the South Korean, Japanese and U.S. militaries said.



The launch, which Tokyo said could be a new type of missile, is a direct challenge to the new South Korean president elected four days ago and comes as U.S., Japanese and European navies gather for joint war games in the Pacific.

It wasn't immediately clear what type of ballistic missile was launched, although the U.S. Pacific Command said that "the flight is not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile." Japanese officials, however, said the missile flew for about 30 minutes, travelling about 800 kilometres and reaching an altitude of 2,000 kilometres -- a flight pattern that could indicate a new type of missile.

David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the flight indicates that the missile could have a range of 4,500 kilometres if flown on a standard, instead of a lofted, trajectory; that would be considerably longer than Pyongyang's current missiles.

The estimated range of the North's Musudan missile is about 3,000 kilometres, Wright said, which is a little less than the distance between the U.S. Pacific island of Guam and North Korea. A North Korean missile would need to travel more than 8,000 kilometres to reach the U.S. West Coast.

Outside militaries will closely analyze what the North fired. While Pyongyang regularly tests shorter-range missiles, it is also working to master the technology needed to field nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland. Past North Korean missiles have flown farther than Sunday's test, landing closer to Japan, but this launch follows a series of high-profile failures.

Whatever the type of missile, the launch forces the new South Korean leader, Moon Jae-in, to put dealing with Pyongyang, at least for now, above the domestic economic agenda he'd made a priority during his early days in office.

Moon, who favours a softer approach to the North than his conservative predecessors, strongly condemned the launch during an emergency national security meeting, calling it a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a serious challenge to international peace and security, according to senior presidential secretary Yoon Young-chan.

"The president expressed deep regret over the fact that this reckless provocation ... occurred just days after a new government was launched in South Korea," Yoon told a televised conference. "The president said we are leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but we should sternly deal with a provocation to prevent North Korea from miscalculating."

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile flew about 800 kilometres from a launch site on North Korea's western coast for about 30 minutes and landed in the Sea of Japan, but not inside Japan's exclusive economic zone. Japan's Defence Ministry says the missile likely reached an altitude of 2,000 kilometres. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Sunday that the launch is "absolutely unacceptable" and that Japan will respond resolutely.

Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada said North Korea might have launched a "new type of missile," given the altitude and duration of its flight. But she said more analysis was needed .

Inada's remarks suggest the missile might have been on a "lofted" trajectory, meaning it could have a far longer range than it actually flew. Japan's Kyodo News said the missile may be capable of covering a range as far as 4,000 kilometres if launched at a normal trajectory, citing unidentified sources.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired early Sunday morning from near Kusong, in North Phyongan province.

North Korea's past satellite rocket launches have been called clandestine tests of ICBM technology, but it is not believed to have tested a true intercontinental ballistic missile yet. The Trump administration has called North Korean ballistic and nuclear efforts unacceptable and has swung between threats of military action and offers to talk as it formulates a policy.

The North's state media said Saturday the nation will bolster its nuclear capability unless the United States abandons its hostile policy.

"The United States should never expect us to give up our nuclear capability," the main Rodong newspaper said in a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency. It said President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure and engagement" policy is only aimed at "stifling us" and will compel the North to "strengthen our nuclear deterrent at the maximum speed."

The launch also comes as troops from the U.S., Japan and two European nations gather near Guam for drills that are partly a message to North Korea. The USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft supercarrier, is also engaging with South Korean navy ships in waters off the Korean Peninsula, according to Seoul's Defence Ministry.

Moon, the first liberal leader in Seoul in nearly a decade, said as he took his oath of office that he'd be willing to visit the North if the circumstances were right. Trump has also said he'd be "honoured" to talk with leader Kim Jong Un under favourable conditions.

On Saturday, a top North Korean diplomat in charge of U.S. relations, Choe Son Hui, told reporters in Beijing that Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration for negotiations "if the conditions are set." She did not elaborate.

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.