North Korea fires suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile

North Korea fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, in a move that sparked immediate condemnation from the prime minister of Japan.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that it detected the launch of what appeared to be a ballistic missile of an intermediate-range class from the area of the North Korean capital Pyongyang on Tuesday at 0653 a.m.
It flew about 600 km before falling into sea, South Korea said, while Japan’s defence ministry estimated it covered a distance of 650 km (400 miles) and hit a maximum altitude of 100 km.
The statement from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff did not specify the exact type of missile, but North Korea has been testing a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile powered by a solid-fuel engine.