Japan calls North Korea ballistic missile launch 'unforgivable, outrageous'

 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. PHOTO/COMBO

What you need to know:

  • North Korea fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, Tokyo and Seoul said as they voiced outrage at Pyongyang's most powerful launch since 2017.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday condemned North Korea's launch of a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile that landed in his country's exclusive economic zone as an "outrageous, unforgivable" act.

North Korea was threatening "the peace and safety of Japan, the region and the international community," Kishida said in Brussels where he will meet with members of the Group of Seven later on Thursday. "This cannot be accepted."

US 'strongly condemns' North Korea missile launch

The United States condemned North Korea's test firing of a new intercontinental missile on Thursday and urged the world to hold Pyongyang responsible for violating UN Security Council resolutions.

Pyongyang has launched nearly a dozen weapon tests this year in an unprecedented spree in defiance of UN sanctions and the latest is the most powerful one since 2017.

Washington "strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for its test of a long-range ballistic missile," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

"This launch is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilising the security situation in the region."

The statement was issued as US President Joe Biden arrived at NATO headquarters in Brussels for a day of summits with the Atlantic Allies, the G7 powers and the EU.

"We urge all countries to hold the DPRK accountable for such violations and call on the DPRK to come to the table for serious negotiations," it said.  

"The door has not closed on diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its destabilising actions."

South Korea's military said it had fired missiles from ground, sea and air in response.

S. Korea fires barrage of missiles in response to N. Korea ICBM

South Korea's military said it had fired a barrage of missiles in response to North Korea's Thursday test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

"In response to North Korea's ICBM launch, our military jointly fired missiles from ground, sea, air," from 16:25 (7:25 GMT) in the Sea of Japan, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.