North Korea test-fires most advanced ICBM with US in range

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Monday test-fired its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile that has the potential to reach the United States, extending a record-breaking number of weapons tests this year and triggering further international condemnation.

South Korea said the North fired an ICBM that used solid fuel, which makes missiles easier to transport and faster to fire than liquid-fuelled versions.

Monday's launch was the third time the North had tested a solid-fuel ICBM, after launches in April and July, which analysts said signalled consistent efforts to improve the technology.

North Korea had said the previous two were "Hwasong-18" missiles but did not immediately comment on Monday's launch.

The United States, South Korea and Japan all quickly condemned the missile test, stating it was in breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions and would make the Korean peninsula less secure.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered an "immediate and overwhelming" countermeasure, and called for a joint response with the United States and Japan.

Japan's defence ministry said the ICBM had a potential range of more than 15,000 kilometres, which would cover all of the United States. It followed a short-range missile launch on Sunday night.

"(The launches are) not only a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions but also a threat to peace and stability of the region and we strongly condemn," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.

The United Nations Security Council, which will hold a meeting Tuesday afternoon to discuss North Korea, has already adopted multiple resolutions calling on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes since it first conducted a nuclear test in 2006.

Following the test-fire, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, called on the North "to fully comply with its international obligations, including under relevant Security Council resolutions."

However China, a close ally of North Korea, offered no direct response to the latest launches and instead released a statement highlighting the deep trust between the two nations.

"In the face of the turbulent international