North Korea Sunday fired a ballistic missile into the sea in an apparent test of new US President Donald Trump, who responded by pledging "100 percent" support for Washington's key regional ally Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose country would be in range of any hostile North Korean launch, called the test "absolutely intolerable" during an impromptu press conference with Trump in Florida.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, altering an earlier military assessment, said the test was "highly likely" to have been of a modified intermediate-range Musudan missile. The Musudan has a range of 2,500-4,000 km, meaning it could threaten both Japan and US bases on Guam. The missile was launched around 7:55 am (2255 GMT Saturday) from Banghyon air base in the western province of North Pyongan, and flew east towards the Sea of Japan (East Sea), the South's defence ministry said.