In Washington, a senior Trump administration official said the United States was "aware of reports" and "continuing to monitor the situation and consulting closely with our allies in Japan and South Korea." It was the latest in a series of launches by the North but the first since October 2, when it fired a sea-launched missile in a provocative move - a submarine-based missile capability would change the military balance.

The North then walked away from working-level nuclear talks with the US in Sweden, saying it was disappointed at the lack of "new and creative" solutions offered by Washington. Pyongyang is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes, which it says it needs to defend against a possible US invasion. It is demanding the easing of the measures and has repeatedly urged Washington to come forward with a new offer by the end of this year.

The South's National Security Council expressed "strong concern" over Thursday's launch and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned it, saying it "threatens peace and stability of the country and the region".

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019