SEOUL: North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un has promised more missile flights over Japan, insisting his nuclear-armed nation鈥檚 provocative launch was a mere 鈥渃urtain-raiser,鈥� in the face of UN condemnation and US warnings of severe repercussions.
The Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile that Pyongyang unleashed on Tuesday represented a major escalation in the face of tensions over its weapons programs.
In recent weeks it has threatened to send a salvo of missiles toward the US territory of Guam, while President Donald Trump has warned of raining 鈥渇ire and fury鈥� on the North.
After the latest launch Trump said that 鈥渁ll options鈥� were on the table, reviving his implied threat of pre-emptive US military action just days after congratulating himself that Kim appeared to be 鈥渟tarting to respect us.鈥�
The UN Security Council 鈥� which has already imposed seven sets of sanctions on Pyongyang 鈥� said in a unanimous statement the North鈥檚 actions 鈥渁re not just a threat to the region, but to all UN member states.鈥�
Both the North鈥檚 key ally China and Russia, which also has ties to it, backed the US-drafted declaration, but it will not immediately lead to new or tightened measures against Pyongyang.
The Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the North鈥檚 ruling party, on Wednesday carried more than 20 pictures of the launch near Pyongyang, one showing Kim smiling broadly at a desk with a map of the Northwest Pacific, surrounded by aides.
Another showed him gazing upwards as the missile rose into the air.
South Korea鈥檚 military said Tuesday that it had traveled around 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of 550 kilometers.
The official Korean Central News Agency cited Kim as saying that 鈥渕ore ballistic rocket launching drills with the Pacific as a target in the future鈥� were necessary.
Tuesday鈥檚 launch was a 鈥渕eaningful prelude to containing Guam, advanced base of invasion,鈥� he said, and a 鈥渃urtain-raiser鈥� for the North鈥檚 鈥渞esolute countermeasures鈥� against ongoing US-South Korean military exercises which the North regards as a rehearsal for invasion.
Wednesday鈥檚 statement was the first time the North has acknowledged sending a missile over Japan鈥檚 main islands. Two of its rockets previously did so, in 1998 and 2009, but on both occasions it claimed they were space launch vehicles.

Tuesday鈥檚 missile overflight triggered consternation in world capitals and on the ground, with sirens blaring out and text message alerts being sent in Japan warning people to take cover.
鈥淭hreatening and destabilising actions only increase the North Korean regime鈥檚 isolation in the region and among all nations of the world,鈥� Trump said in a White House statement. 鈥淎ll options are on the table.鈥�
At the UN Security Council emergency meeting Washington鈥檚 Ambassador Nikki Haley warned that 鈥渆nough is enough鈥� and that tough action had to be taken.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unacceptable,鈥� Haley said. 鈥淭hey have violated every single UN Security Council resolution that we鈥檝e had, and so I think something serious has to happen.鈥�
The North last month carried out its first two successful tests of an intercontinental ballistic missile, apparently bringing much of the US mainland into range, but the Pentagon said Tuesday鈥檚 launch was judged not to have represented a threat.
Any missile fired by the North at Guam would have to pass over Japan, and analysts told AFP that Pyongyang appeared to have chosen the trajectory as a 鈥渉alf-way house鈥� option to send a message without crossing a red line.
Japan鈥檚 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was nevertheless visibly unsettled, dubbing the launch an 鈥渦nprecedented, serious and grave threat.鈥�
Despite Trump鈥檚 rhetoric, officials in Washington privately echo the warning by Trump鈥檚 now former chief strategist Steve Bannon that it is too late for a pre-emptive strike against the North.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no military solution, forget it,鈥� Bannon told the American Prospect in an August 16 interview, his last before losing his job.
鈥淯ntil somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me 10 million people in Seoul don鈥檛 die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don鈥檛 know what you鈥檙e talking about, there鈥檚 no military solution here, they got us.鈥�