The missile was launched at 6:42 am from near the city of Sinpo and flew around 40 miles, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced, before falling into the Sea of Japan.
The Pukguksong-2 seems to be a remodeled version of a submarine-launched ballistic missile and uses solid fuel that drastically shortens the launch preparation. "The government strictly protested and strongly condemned it", Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, said.
Trump "made clear that the United States will continue to strengthen its ability to deter and defend itself and its allies with the full range of its military capabilities", the White House said in a statement about the call.
During the talks, the Japanese and US leaders confirmed that China has influence over North Korea and thus has a significant role to play.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed the matter briefly in a written statement Tuesday evening. The North conducted two nuclear tests and 24 ballistic missile tests a year ago, defying six Security Council sanctions resolutions banning any testing.
North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility.
But solid fuel-powered missiles need much less infrastructure, making them hard for those monitoring North Korea's military movements to spot, as there are fewer indicators, such as movement of trucks, for South Korean or USA satellites and other surveillance to pick up on.
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The maneuvering played out in a tense Senate chamber Thursday with most members in their seats, a rare and theatrical occurrence. The Senate's 52 Republicans threatened to use the nuclear option to break the filibuster and did so on Thursday.
North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development.
How advanced is North Korea's nuclear programme?
Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program is likely to dominate when Trump meets China's leader on Thursday, their first face to face meeting.
Trump wants China to do more to exert its economic influence over unpredictable Pyongyang to restrain its nuclear and missile programs, while Beijing has said it does not have that kind of influence.
"(Trump told Hwang) that there were in-depth talks about North Korea's serious nuke problems and how to respond to them (during the summit)", according to Hwang's office.
Council members said they "deplore" all North Korean ballistic missile activity, stressing that it contributes to the country's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and diverts resources from the needs of its people.
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