N Korea fires long-range missile ahead of talks

North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic rocket (ICBM) conscionable hours earlier the leaders of South Korea and Japan were owed to conscionable for landmark talks.

Both Japanese and South Korean officials confirmed the long-range missile's motorboat connected Thursday morning.

It flew astir 1,000km (620 miles) landing successful waters westbound of Japan.

It is Pyongyang's 4th rocket motorboat successful a week and comes arsenic the US and South Korea clasp associated navy drills.

The different missiles launched - past Thursday, connected Saturday and connected Monday - had been short-range ballistic missiles.

North Korea's ramped-up rocket enactment volition astir apt beryllium apical of the docket erstwhile South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol meets Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida successful Tokyo aboriginal connected Thursday - the archetypal specified sojourn successful 12 years.

Since Monday, the US and South Korea person been carrying retired drills astir the Korean peninsula- the allies' largest successful 5 years. North Korea has repeatedly said it sees specified exercises arsenic provocation.

Thursday's rocket was fired astatine 07:10 (22:10 GMT) from Pyongyang connected the eastbound seashore of North Korea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Japan's defence ministry confirmed it arsenic an ICBM benignant and said it flew higher than 6,000km for astir 70 minutes. It landed astatine astir 08:20 extracurricular of Japan's exclusive economical zone, the ministry said.

Japan officials person not reported immoderate harm from the missile.

Following Thursday's launch, Mr Yoon ordered his country's subject to proceed with the associated US exercises arsenic planned.

Pyongyang would wage for its "reckless provocations", helium said.

North Korea past fired an ICBM little than a period agone - an enactment that sparked a UN exigency gathering and condemnation from G7 countries.

ICBMs are peculiarly worrying due to the fact that of their agelong range. Experts person said that specified missiles launched from North Korea could perchance scope mainland United States.

Pyongyang is besides believed to person developed ICBMs that tin transportation aggregate warheads.

The escalation successful North Korean aggression implicit the past twelvemonth is 1 of the cardinal topics to beryllium discussed astatine the Tokyo gathering connected Thursday.

Many anticipation the gathering - which has been hailed arsenic a "milestone" successful the rapprochement of South Korea and Japan - volition effect successful person information ties and subject practice betwixt the 2 countries.

Both countries said they would convene their nationalist information councils pursuing Thursday's rocket launch.

In 2022, North Korea launched much than 90 missiles - the astir it has ever fired successful a azygous twelvemonth to date - contempt being taxable to a raft of sanctions from the UN, the US, the EU and its neighbouring countries.

North Korea has go much assertive successful its atomic strategy nether Kim Jong-un, who has overseen overmuch of its caller improvement of its weapons programme, and 4 of the six atomic tests truthful far.