North Korea has fired an unidentified projectile from a region near its west coast, South Korea's military says. Source: MSNBC
Russian President Vladimir Putin has told world leaders to stop "intimidating" North Korea following the dictatorship's latest missile test.
Putin said attempts to bully Kim Jong-un's regime were "unacceptable", though he admitted the missile test was equally wrong, according to Daily Mail.
America and South Korea led calls for fresh sanctions after Kim tested a newly developed Hwasong-12 ballistic missile on Sunday, which the dictator claimed was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to the US.
Putin said: "We are categorically against the expansion of the club of nuclear powers. We consider (the missile test) counter-productive, harmful and dangerous".
But, he added: "We must stop intimidating North Korea and find a peaceful solution to this problem."
Speaking at a Chinese economic summit, Put also denied that the test had posed any threat to Russia, despite the weapon landing 60 miles off his nation's east coast.
The Russian premier said peaceful talks must be held to resolve escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Putin joins China and new South Korean president Moon Jae-in in calling for talks with the North.
If discussions could be arranged, it would mark the first significant development in diplomacy with North Korea since the nation pulled out of six-party talks in 2009.
President Trump said earlier this month that he would be willing to participate in talks "under the right circumstances", though his administration said that possibility was slim after the missile launch.
Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, told ABC's 'This Week' that "having a missile test is not the way to sit down with the president, because he's absolutely not going to do it."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo/AP
Experts believe the North's new missile is the longest-range weapon ever successfully tested by the isolated nation.
After being fired from a launch pad in the Kusong region early on Sunday, the projectile travelled around 500 miles before dropping into the Sea of Japan.
Analysts say the missile was fired at an upward trajectory to artificially limit its range during the test. Fired in a straighter line, they estimate it would have a range of at least 2,500 miles.
While that is significantly longer than the rage of its other missiles, it still falls around 3,000 miles short of the US mainland.
Kim Jong-un personally oversaw the missile launch on Sunday, and was pictured celebrating with his officials afterward.
The ruler also pledged further missile tests and nuclear detonations, despite repeated warnings by President Trump.
