The maximum speed of the rocket launched by North Korea on Sunday morning was 16 Mach numbers, a military source in Seoul told the Yonhap news agency, TASS reported.

The Hwasong-12 medium-range missile was first shown to the international community at a military parade on 14 April, 2017, was launched. Its first launch was on May 14 of the same year.

According to South Korea's Committee of Chiefs of Staff, the DPRK launched a medium-range ballistic missile at 07:52 from Mupyeong-ri village in Chagang province toward the Sea of Japan. The missile flew about 800 kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of 2,000 kilometers. Pyongyang has not conducted such launches since late 2017, observing a voluntary moratorium on intercontinental ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests.

The current launch was the seventh since the beginning of the year. Earlier this month, the DPRK tested tactical guided missiles and a rail missile system, as well as hypersonic missiles capable of maneuvering after takeoff.