In Testing Missile, N. Korea Challenges South’s New Leader

North Korea on Sunday testlaunched a ballistic missile that flew for half an hour and reached an unusually high altitude before landing in the Sea of Japan, the South Korean, Japanese and U.S. militaries said.

The launch, which Tokyo said could be of a new type of missile, is a direct challenge to the new South Korean president and comes as U.S., Japanese and European navies gather for joint war games in the Pacific.

It wasn’t immediately clear what type of ballistic missile was launched, the seventh such firing this year, although the U.S. Pacific Command said that“the flight is not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile.” Japanese officials, however, said the missile flew for about 30 minutes, travelling about 800 kilometres (500 miles) and reaching an altitude of 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) — a flight pattern that could indicate a new type of missile.

David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the missile could have a range of 4,500 kilometers (about 2,800 miles) if flown on a standard, instead of a lofted, trajectory — considerably longer than Pyongyang’s current missiles.

He said Sunday’s launch may have been of a new mobile, twostage liquid-fueled missile North Korea displayed in a huge April 15 military parade.

South Korea, Japan and the U.S. swiftly condemned the launch, which jeopardises new South Korean leader Moon Jae-in’s willingness for dialogue with the rival North.

“The president expressed deep regret over the fact that this reckless provocation ... occurred just days after a new government was launched in South Korea,” said senior presidential secretary YoonYoung-chan.“The president said we are leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but we should sternly deal with a provocation to prevent North Korea from miscalculating.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that the launch was “absolutely unacceptable” and that Japan will respond resolutely.

Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said he and his South Korean counterpart agreed that “dialogue for dialogue’s sake with North Korea is meaningless.”