North Korea has conducted its longest-ever test flight of a ballistic missile, sending an intermediate-range weapon hurtling over Japan and into the northern Pacific Ocean.
Warning sirens blared when it passed over Japan's northern island of Hokkaido as residents were just starting their day.
Ultimately, there was no debris or damage from the missile, which landed in the northern Pacific Ocean.
The launch follows the U-N Security Council's unanimous approval of new sanctions Monday after North Korea's sixth nuclear test.
The growing frequency, power and confidence displayed by the North's recent tests seem to confirm it is closer than ever to its goal of building a military arsenal that can viably target both U-S troops in Asia and the U-S homeland.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile launched this morning travelled 37-hundred-kilometres and reached a height of 770-kilometres.