"The test-fire is an appropriate military action that fully meets the purpose of informing the rivals... of our counteraction will," Kim said at the launch, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

The United States criticized the North Korean missile launch as a "flagrant violation" of UN Security Council resolutions, saying that it risked destabilizing security in the region.

"The United States strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) intercontinental ballistic missile test. This launch is a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions," National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.

"We urge all countries to condemn these violations and call on the DPRK to cease its destabilizing actions and engage in serious dialogue," Savett said.

 North Korea launched one of its most powerful missiles in what was leader Kim Jong Un's first weapons test since being accused of sending soldiers to support Russia's war against Ukraine.

Pyongyang is banned from tests using ballistic technology by multiple rounds of UN sanctions, but leader Kim has ramped up launches this year, with experts warning he could be testing weaponry before providing it to Russia.