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\nKorea \u2014 North Korea on Thursday test-fired one of its most powerful missiles, South Korea\u2019s military said, Kim Jong Un\u2019s first weapons test since being accused of sending soldiers to Russia.
South Korea\u2019s military had warned a day earlier that the nuclear-armed North was preparing to test another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or even conduct a nuclear test, possibly ahead of next week\u2019s US elections.
The launch came just hours after US and South Korean defense chiefs called on Pyongyang to withdraw its troops from Russia, warning that North Korean soldiers in Russian uniforms were being deployed for possible action against Ukrainian forces.
\u201cOur military detected one ballistic missile launched from the Pyongyang area toward the East Sea at approximately 7:10 AM (2210 GMT) today,\u201d Seoul\u2019s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
\u201cThe ballistic missile is presumed to be a long-range missile launched at a high angle,\u201d it said.
North Korea typically test-fires its longest-range and most powerful missiles on a so-called lofted trajectory \u2014 fired up, not out \u2014 which it says is to avoid overflying neighboring countries.
\u201cOur military has heightened its alert level and is closely sharing information regarding North Korea\u2019s ballistic missile with the US and Japan authorities, maintaining a thorough readiness posture,\u201d Seoul\u2019s JCS added.
Tokyo also confirmed the launch, with Japan\u2019s defense minister saying that the missile had flown longer than any other previously tested by the North.
\u201cIt was the longest time flying of any missile so far,\u201d Gen Nakatani told reporters.
\u201cI think it may be different from conventional missiles.\u201d
South Korea\u2019s military told lawmakers Wednesday that \u201cpreparations are nearly complete for an ICBM-class long-range missile.\u201d
\u201cPreparations for a transporter erector launcher are complete, and it has been deployed to a certain area,\u201d the Defense Intelligence Agency told lawmakers, though it said no missile has been mounted yet.
The DIA said the launch could involve an ICBM and be aimed at testing the North\u2019s atmospheric reentry technology.
Seoul has also slammed the nuclear-armed North\u2019s accelerating deployment of troops to Russia, saying it posed a \u201csignificant security threat.\u201d
Thousands of North Korean troops had been moved to western Russia, which \u201csuggests they are unlikely to have gone merely for observation,\u201d a presidential official said Wednesday.
Seoul, a major weapons exporter, has said it is reviewing whether to send weapons directly to Ukraine in response, something it has previously resisted due to longstanding domestic policy that prevents it from providing weaponry into active conflicts.
Seoul has long accused the nuclear-armed North of sending weapons to help Moscow fight Kyiv and alleged that Pyongyang has moved to deploy soldiers en mass in the wake of Kim Jong Un\u2019s signing of a mutual defense deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June.
North Korea has denied sending troops, but in the first comment in state media last week, its vice foreign minister said that if such a deployment were to happen, it would be in line with international law.
Pyongyang is banned from tests using ballistic technology by multiple rounds of UN sanctions, but Kim Jong Un has ramped up testing this year, with experts warning he could be testing weaponry before providing it to Russia.<\/p>\n