North Korea conducted its largest missile test since 2017 on Sunday, sending a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile soaring into space, seen as taking the nuclear-armed country a step closer to resuming long-range testing.

Japanese officials said the missile, based on their initial assessment of its flight path, potentially reached a maximum altitude of 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) and travelled 800 kilometers (497 miles) before landing in the sea.

The flight details suggest the North tested its longest-range ballistic missile since 2017, when it flight-tested three intercontinental range ballistic missiles that demonstrated the potential range to reach deep into the American homeland.

Today's test was the North's 7th round of weapons launches this month. The unusually fast pace of tests indicates an intent to pressure the Biden administration over long-stalled nuclear negotiations.

The launch came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un chaired a ruling party meeting on January 20 where senior party members made a veiled threat to resume testing of nuclear explosives and ICBMs, which Kim suspended in 2018 while initiating diplomacy with the United States.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the missile flew for around 30 minutes and landed in waters outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North launched one suspected ballistic missile from a northern inland area but didn't immediately provide further flight details.

The Japanese assessments suggest that the North tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile or possibly even a weapon approaching ICBM capacities, said Lee Choon Geun, a missile expert and honorary research fellow at South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute.

“I think this means that the North's moratorium (on long-range testing) is effectively over,” Lee said.

Image courtesy: Reuters