North Korea conducts 'successful' test-firing of Hwasong-17 ICBM

The missile is called the Hwasong-17.

The test was reportedly conducted on the direct order of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Making an on-site inspection of the test, Kim stressed his country would be "fully ready for long-standing confrontation with the U.S. imperialists," according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as quoted by Yonhap news agency.

Kim was quoted as saying, "The new strategic weapon of the DPRK would make the whole world clearly aware of the power of our strategic armed forces once again."

In response, South Korea's unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs issued a strongly-worded statement condemning the North for its latest missile launch.

"We strongly urge North Korea to immediately cease its actions that raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula and destabilize the security of the region, and to return back to the negotiating table for dialogue regardless of what the North's intention is," Cha Deok-cheol, the ministry's deputy spokesperson, told a regular press briefing as quoted by Yonhap.

It marked the first time the country had tested a banned ICBM since 2017, reports BBC.

ICBMs are long-range missiles, capable of reaching the US. N Korea is banned from testing them and has been heavily sanctioned for doing so before, the British media reported.

Ankit Panda from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace called Thursday's launch a "significant milestone" for North Korea's nuclear arsenal.

"This test was long telegraphed and continues North Korea's efforts to improve its nuclear deterrent," he told the BBC.