North Korea has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), achieving a flight duration of 86 minutes - the longest recorded to date - before it landed in waters off its eastern coast, according to South Korea and Japan.
The missile was fired at a steep angle, reaching an altitude of 7,000 km. If launched horizontally, it could have traveled an even greater distance.
This test represents a violation of UN restrictions and occurs amid escalating tensions between North and South Korea, alongside Pyongyang's increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Seoul.
On Wednesday, South Korea warned that North Korea was likely to conduct this ICBM launch in proximity to the upcoming U.S. presidential election on November 5.
The South Korean defense ministry noted that the test aims to develop capabilities for missiles that can "fire farther and higher."
Washington, Japan and South Korea strongly condemned the move. Dictator Kim Jong Un stated regarding the test that "the dangerous moves of North Korea's enemies have highlighted the need to strengthen its nuclear power."
He added that North Korea would never change its position of strengthening its nuclear capability," as reported by the country's KCNA news agency.
