Sonu Sood

"The evaluation test-fire of Hwasong 12-type ground-to-ground intermediate- and long-range ballistic missile was conducted Sunday under a plan of the Academy of Defense Science, the Second Economy Commission and other institutions concerned, "North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a report. The launch was aimed to "selectively evaluate missile being produced and deployed and to verify the overall accuracy of weapon system", Yonhap News Agency cited the KCNA report.

Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his American counterpart, Sung Kim, denounced the North's latest missile launch as a challenge to the international community's efforts to diplomatically resolve the Korean peninsula issue, as well as to the UN Security Council resolutions, Yonhap News Agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

Moon made the remarks while presiding over a plenary meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) for the first time in about a year, an indication of how seriously he takes the launch of what is believed to be the longest-range missile the North has fired in recent years, reports Yonhap News Agency. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North's missile flew about 800 km at a top altitude of 2,000 km. The flight data indicated that North Korea has test-launched its biggest ballistic missile since 2017.

"The recent test fire of the new-type weapons was part of activities for carrying out the medium- and long-term plan for the development of defence science, and it does not pose any threat or damage to the security of the neighbouring countries and the region," Han was quoted by the Ministry as saying. The Ambassador then called on the US to withdraw its "hostile policy" and "double standards" toward the North.

On Thursday, South Korea's military said the North fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, marking its sixth such launch this month, Yonhap news agency reported. The latest "saber-rattling" came just two days after Pyongyang launched two apparent cruise missiles from an inland area.

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, marking its sixth missile launch since the start of this month, Yonhap news agency reported. "Just because right now one issue obviously is certainly capturing the attention of the world community doesn't mean that we are not equally pursuing and focused on other threats and challenges to the country," Kirby said in a press briefing.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from in and around Hamhung, a city on its east coast, at around 8 a.m. It did not elaborate further, Yonhap news agency reported. "Our military is keeping close tabs on related North Korean movements and maintaining a readiness posture," the JCS said in a message sent to reporters.

North Korea seems to have test-fired at least two cruise missiles from an inland area, in what would be Pyongyang's fifth known round of missile launches this year, a South Korean official said on Tuesday. "We still need to conduct a detailed analysis (on the launches)," Yonhap News Agency quoted the military official as saying to reporters.

He, however, also highlighted the importance of fully implementing UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions to prevent the North from further advancing its missile capabilities, Yonhap News Agency reported on Saturday. "Obviously, we don't want to see the North Korean military program continue to be able to pose a threat to our South Korean allies or to the region.

US and seven other members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have urged the full implementation of sanctions on North Korea. Thursday's call came after China blocked a US proposal to impose additional UN sanctions against the North for conducting at least four missile launches since the start of the year, Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday.