North Korea has fired a suspected long-range ICBM North Korea has fired a suspected long-range ballistic missile (ICBM), South Korea says. A...

North Korea has fired a suspected long-range ICBM

North Korea has fired a suspected long-range ballistic missile (ICBM), South Korea says.

An ICBM was launched near the North Korean capital Pyongyang, military officials in Seoul said.

Japan said the missile landed in waters west of an island near its northern island of Hokkaido.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said it was believed to have landed about 200 kilometers west of an island near Japan's largest northern island of Hokkaido, within Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

He added that there were no previous reports of damage to ships or aircraft. "Usually we made a strong protest against North Korea, which has repeatedly repeated its provocations," Mr Kishida told reporters in Thailand. "We have told (Pyongyang) that we absolutely cannot tolerate such actions."

On Thursday, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui warned of a "strong" response to US plans to strengthen its presence in the region.

It also launched a short-range ballistic missile on the same day. It followed a meeting on Sunday between US President Joe Biden, South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of a summit in Cambodia.

Mr Biden later said the three allies were "more aligned than ever" on North Korea's "provocative behavior" and his national security adviser vowed a "unified response" if North Korea conducted its seventh nuclear weapons test, which the department American and South Korean intelligence agencies have been warning for months.

He added that there were no previous reports of damage to ships or aircraft. "Usually we made a strong protest against North Korea, which has repeatedly repeated its provocations," Mr Kishida told reporters in Thailand. "We have told (Pyongyang) that we absolutely cannot tolerate such actions."

North Korea has tested a large number of missiles this year as tensions rise. Friday's launch is the eighth suspected ICBM test by Pyongyang this year.