North Korea sent a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into space yesterday in its biggest such launch in five years.
The weapon reached an altitude of 1,242 miles before coming down in the Sea of Japan.
It takes despot Kim Jong-un ’s regime a step closer to fully scrapping a self-imposed halt on tests of its longest-range missiles, said South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
North Korea has said it is no longer bound by the moratorium on tests because the US and its allies have not stopped “hostile” policies.
The launch was the regime’s seventh test this month and the biggest since 2017.
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North Korea has released images related to recent tests including one of Kim inspecting a munitions factory in which some officials’ faces had been pixelated.
The flurry of activity comes days before the Beijing winter Olympics start in the Chinese capital on Friday.
Yang Uk of South Korea’s Center for Foreign Policy and National Security said: “Kim seems to be ramping up tests in a bid to pressure both Washington and Beijing over sanctions ahead of the Olympics.”
The UN prohibits North Korea from ballistic and nuclear weapons tests and has imposed strict sanctions.
