Pars Today

North Korea has launched a long-range ballistic missile off its east coast days after it threatened the US with "shocking" response over conducting reconnaissance flights while violating the country's airspace.

South Korea and Japan both announced that a long-range missile was fired on Wednesday at around 10 am local time  (01:00 GMT) from the Korean Peninsula hundreds of kilometers into the sea east of the land as the US-led NATO military alliance members took part in a Summit in Lithuania along with their Asia-Pacific allies.

"The ballistic missile was fired on a lofted trajectory and flew 1,000 km before splashing down in the East Sea," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) declared, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

North Korea has carried out numerous missile tests in response to persisting joint war games by US and South Korean military forces near its territorial waters. This year, it launched its first-ever solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and tried to put its first reconnaissance satellite into orbit, though the mission ended in failure.

Seoul's JCS described the Wednesday's launch as "a grave provocation that damages the peace and security of the Korean peninsula," calling on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear and missile development programs.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters it flew for about 74 minutes, reaching an altitude of 6,000 km.

The country's coast guard confirmed that the missile fell into the sea east of the Korean peninsula.

The missile launch came ahead of the second day of a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who are taking part inthe summit, are scheduled to meet up with one another as well as other NATO leaders on the sidelines of the event on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, China has warned the West and its regional allies against the idea of establishing an “Asia-Pacific version of NATO.”

SS