North Korea launches intermediate range missile over Japan; UNSC condemns

North Korea on Thursday fired an intermediate range missile over Japan. The missile was launched from Pyongyang. It was latest outrageous action carried out by North Korea after an underground detonation of nuclear device.

Reacting to the reports of Pyongyang firing missile, Japan strongly condemned the action by saying that these repeated provocations on the part of North Korea are unpermissible and they protest in the strongest words.

According to Reuters, the missile reportedly reached an altitude of about 770 km and flew over a distance of about 3,700 km. The US military had announced that it had detected an intermediate range ballistic missile. The US said the projectile did not pose a threat to North America.

The UN Security Council on Thursday strongly condemned "highly provocative" launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea and demanded that the reclusive nation immediately halt such "outrageous" actions.

“The members of the Security Council strongly condemned these launches, condemned further North Korea for its outrageous actions, and demanded that North Korea immediately cease all such actions,” the Security Council said in a statement after an emergency meeting.

North Korea has launched dozens of missiles under Kim Jong Un’s leadership to accelerate a weapons programme designed to give it the ability to target the United States with a powerful, nuclear-tipped missile.

With PTI inputs