(2nd LD) N. Korea fires suspected ICBM toward East Sea

▲ This photo, provided by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on April 14, 2023, shows the North's new solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), test-fired the previous day under the guidance of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) N Korea-missile launch

(2nd LD) N. Korea fires suspected ICBM toward East Sea

(ATTN: CHANGES headline; UPDATES with more details, background in first 7 paras)

By Kim Eun-jung and Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired a suspected long-range missile into the East Sea on Monday, the South Korean military said, which would mark its fifth intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch this year.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said North Korea fired a long-range missile from in or around Pyongyang at 8:24 a.m., without providing further details.

"While elevating our alert readiness, our military is maintaining a full readiness posture by closely sharing data on the 'North Korean ballistic missile' with the United States and Japan," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.

If confirmed, it marks the North's fifth intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch this year, representing the highest number of ICMB launches in a single year.

The North fired Hwasong-15 and Hwasong-17 ICBMs, in February and March, respectively. It test-fired a solid-fuel Hawsong-18 in April and conducted a second test in July.

The latest launch came hours after the North fired a short-range missile from Pyongyang at 10:38 p.m. Sunday. It flew about 570 kilometers before splashing into the East Sea, according to the JCS.

The back-to-back missile launches came after South Korea's First Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo said a few days earlier that the North could fire an ICBM within this month.

The firings also came days after Seoul and Washington held the second session of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) and agreed to complete the establishment of guidelines on the planning and operation of a shared nuclear strategy by the middle of next year.

Just after Sunday's launch, the North's defense ministry lambasted the NCG meeting as "an open declaration on nuclear confrontation" and criticized the U.S.' deployment of major military assets to the Korean Peninsula this year.

The North's latest saber-rattling also came amid heightened tensions after Pyongyang scrapped a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement designed to reduce tensions and prevent accidental clashes along the border last month.

Seoul had partially suspended the deal in protest of the North's successful launch of its first military spy satellite on Nov. 21.

The North last fired a ballistic missile on Nov. 22, but the launch apparently failed, according to the JCS.

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