North Korea missile test: Russia says it appears to be 'medium range'; no threat to its territory

Moscow: Russia's military said on Tuesday that a missile fired by North Korea appeared to be "medium-range", despite claims from Pyongyang that it had tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-14. Reuters

"The missile reached an altitude of 535 kilometres (330 miles) and flew 510 kilometres before falling into the central part of the Sea of Japan," the defence ministry said in a statement to Russian news agencies.

"The parametric flight data of the ballistic object corresponds to the tactical and technical characteristics of a medium-range ballistic missile," it said, adding that it did "not present" any danger to Russian territory.

North Korean state media proclaimed Tuesday that the country had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile — potentially a watershed moment in its push to develop a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the United States.

The "landmark" test of a Hwasong-14 missile was overseen by leader Kim Jong-Un, an emotional female announcer said on state Korean Central Television, claiming that it reached an altitude of 2,802 kilometres and flew 933 kilometres.

The US military also confirmed the launch but said the missile was a land-based, intermediate range missile.