NORTH Korea fired a ballistic missile that flew for 86 minutes — setting a record for Pyongyang.
It raised fears of a new kind of weapon that could strike US soil.
The launch came days after tubby tyrant Kim Jong-un ordered thousands of troops to fight with Russia in Putin’s bloodbath war in Ukraine.
Kim vowed to bolster his nuclear weapons after accusing the US and South Korea of threats.
He said the sanctions-busting missile launch was proof he was ready to defy his enemies.
The ICBM crashed into the sea 200 miles off Japan, which said it reached a height of 4,350 miles and flew 600 miles from the launch site near Pyongyang.
Japan defence minister Gen Nakatani said: “Its flying altitude was the highest we have seen.”
Earlier in the week, The Sun revealed how North Korean troops had been sent to Russia, with some already headed to fight in the invaded Kursk region, Nato confirmed.
Putin’s men took back half of Kursk territory in the last few weeks and became even stronger as best pal Kim sent his troops to join forces.
But it was suggested they could have been met with a group of nearly 200 North Korean defectors, who were pushing to deploy to Ukraine and launch a psychological warfare campaign against their former comrades.
The Pentagon confirmed that North Korea had sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and fight in Ukraine within “the next several weeks.”
Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said some soldiers had already moved closer to Ukraine, adding: “We are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk [region].”
Confirming intelligence from Ukraine, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said earlier on Monday: “Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region.”
North Korea fired a ballistic missile that flew for 86 minutes — setting a record for Pyongyang[/caption]