North Korea has fired a missile with a potential range of thousands of kilometers in a new test, according to the South Korean military. The missile was shot down on Thursday morning (local time) in the area of ​​the capital Pyongyang and flew about 1,000 kilometers in the direction of the Sea of ​​Japan (Korean: East Sea), said the General Staff in Seoul. There she obviously fell into the water.

According to the General Staff, it was a long-range ballistic missile that could also carry nuclear warheads. UN resolutions ban North Korea from testing ballistic missiles of any range. Such rockets can be equipped with one or more nuclear warheads, depending on their design. The range of long-range or intercontinental missiles exceed 5500 kilometers.

North Korea tested two cruise missiles with South Korea at the start of new US military exercises on Sunday. According to the company, the test was intended to serve as a nuclear deterrent. Short-range ballistic missiles were launched on Tuesday.

The missile test on Thursday came hours before South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, Japan. Yoon is the first South Korean head of state to visit neighboring Japan for bilateral top-level talks in twelve years. North Korean nuclear threats are also expected to be high on the two's agenda.