The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday morning, with the country's top leader overseeing the event, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, citing a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defence.
According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Oct. 31 local time, the South Korean military detected that North Korea launched a ballistic missile from the Pyongyang area toward the eastern sea of the peninsula at around 7:10 am.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile launched at a high angle, reaching an altitude of approximately 7,000 kilometers. It also cited data from Japan, stating that the missile flight duration was approximately 86 minutes, setting a new record for the longest flight of a ballistic missile launched by North Korea.
The Japan Ministry of Defense also confirmed that both the flight time and altitude of the missile broke previous records, suggesting that a high-angle launch method was used, which is difficult to intercept. Reports indicate that the missile ultimately fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
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