North Korea fires long-range ballistic missile into East Sea

North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Wednesday, according to the South Korean military.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 10 a.m. (0100GMT), Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

The missile, which was fired at a “lofted trajectory,” reached a maximum altitude of about 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles) and flew for about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) before splashing down west of Hokkaido’s Okushiri Island outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry.

Its flight time of 74 minutes was the longest yet for a North Korean missile, the ministry added.

North Korea test-fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on June 15 in response to military drills staged by the US and South Korea.

The latest launch came just a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong warned that Pyongyang would take "clear and resolute" action against US surveillance flights within the North's "economic water zone."