North Korea test-fires advanced intercontinental ballistic missile

North Korea successfully test-fired its advanced new intercontinental ballistic missile in a show of force against US “aggression”, its state media reported on Thursday.

The launch of the Hwasong-18 on Wednesday morning was only the second time a solid-fuel ICBM – which has a range capable of hitting the US continent – has been fired by the pariah state. It was also the longest flight time ever recorded, at 74 minutes.

Kim Jong Un, the country’s authoritarian leader, oversaw the launch from a private mansion on the east side of the capital, Pyongyang, NK News reported.

Pictures of the North Korean leader showed him beaming and applauding as the massive rocket lifted off from a launchpad in a landscaped natural park at the Kim family’s Jindallae Guesthouse, as Kim clapped and troops congratulated each other.

State media reported the latest missile launch was part of the regime’s efforts to bolster self-defence against the “disaster of a nuclear war” and reckless military moves by the US and South Korea.

Kim has previously called the Hwasong-18 his most powerful nuclear weapon, built to enhance the North’s counterattack capabilities in the face of US military threats.

Experts say that its solid-fuel component makes it easier to deploy and harder to detect and intercept than other liquid fuel ICBMs.

The test followed a sharp warning from Pyongyang earlier this week that it may shoot down an America reconnaissance aircraft which it claimed was intruding on its airspace.

It also lashed out at the US over its plans to deploy a nuclear submarine to the Korean peninsula, describing it as a “grave threat” to world peace.

The ICBM launch is the latest escalation in spiralling tensions on the peninsula.

It hit an altitude of more than 3,700 miles at a lofted trajectory, with a range of around 620 miles, before splashing down in waters between Japan and South Korea.

The test was roundly condemned by the international community, with Fumio Kishida, the Japanese prime minister calling it a threat to peace and security of the region and the world.

In Washington, US National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge called it “a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilising the security situation in the region.”

The United Nations Security Council will meet publicly on Thursday to discuss the latest missile launch.

The meeting was requested by the UK, US, Albania, France, Japan and Malta.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.