North Korea fires an intercontinental missile with the longest flight time ever recorded

South Korea and Japan said North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, completing the longest flight ever recorded before hitting nearby waters off the east coast.

After watching the launch, Kim Jong Un turned to state media to warn Pyongyang’s international adversaries of their willingness to respond to threats and take “appropriate military action.”

The North Korean leader further affirmed that his country will “never change its line of strengthening its nuclear forces.”

According to Japanese Defense Minister General Nakatani, the ICBM flew for about 86 minutes and was reportedly fired at a steep angle. The longer duration is concerning for those involved, as the increase in flight time could be the result of improvements made since the last launch.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff have since said that the angle could have been an attempt to avoid neighboring countries and that the missile could have traveled a much greater distance if it had been fired horizontally.

Jung Chang Wook, head of the Korea Defense Study Forum think tank in Seoul, told AP that the missile launched Thursday could have carried the country’s largest and most destructive nuclear warhead.

Pyongyang heating up?

The violation of UN Security Council resolutions came at a time when relations between North Korea and its peninsula neighbor remain tense. Earlier this month it was reported that North Korea had done so destroyed the last remaining connecting roads between the two countries in an aggressive move.

The launch was likely a means of attracting international attention, as South Korea had warned of a possible ICBM this week ahead of the US presidential election on November 5.

The country has previously argued that advancing its nuclear program is the only reasonable response to the continued expansion of the U.S.-South Korean military alliance that could attack. Both countries have denied such allegations.

Commenting on the launch, White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the country “continues to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people.”

There are ongoing concerns that Pyongyang may seek Russia’s support to expand its nuclear program, especially given the crisis recent troop deployment to support Vladimir Putin’s forces in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

The American Pentagon has now estimated that around 10,000 soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia, some to the Kursk region, and more need to be deployed.

Neither country has confirmed this accusations.

Following the recent launch, South Korean and US officials released a statement saying they would “take strong and varied response measures.” Seoul has said new sanctions will be imposed over the ICBM.