North Korea said the new missile reached an altitude of about 4,475 km (2,780 miles) - more than 10 times the height of the International Space Station - and flew 950 km (590 miles) during its 53-minute flight.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that after two months of relative calm on the Korean Peninsula, the resurfacing of tensions was regrettable.

Wang, speaking to reporters at a joint briefing with his Mongolian counterpart, said that China has an open attitude on solutions to the North Korean nuclear issue, but that parties should be consultative.

In late November, North Korea tested its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile yet, putting the continental United States within range and increasing pressure on President Donald Trump to deal with the nuclear-armed nation.

North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country called Trump "insane" on Sunday and said air drills between the United States and the South would "push the already acute situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war."