ballistic missile

The missile flew 470km and reached an altitude of 780km, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff says, adding it is a 'blatant violation of UN Security Council resolutions'.

In the decade since Kim Jong Un took power, North Korea has seen rapid progress in its military technology at the cost of international sanctions.

This comes as both Koreas build up their weapons capabilities in what could become an arms race on the peninsula, and with Washington-Pyongyang dialogue at a standstill.