N. Korea says it fired new ballistic missile over Japan Tues.

North Korea said Monday it fired a "new-type ground to-ground intermediate-range ballistic missile" over the Japanese archipelago as part of seven-round ballistic missile drills that ran from late September, according to state-run media.

The new missile fired last Tuesday was part of exercises conducted as a "severe warning to the enemies," the Korean Central News Agency said, referring to recent military exercises between the United States and South Korea near the Korean Peninsula involving U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan.

North Korea's drills, that began Sept. 25, were staged by units responsible for operating tactical nuclear weapons, KCNA said, after Pyongyang again test-fired ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan early Sunday, the final day of the exercises.

The ruling Workers Party of Korea's Central Military Commission decided to "send (a) more powerful and clear warning to the enemies" last Tuesday, firing the new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean having flown some 4,500 kilometers from its launch site.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has refused dialogue with the nation's perceived enemies such as the United States, and feels no need to do so, given that the "dialogue and negotiation" is sought "while posing military threats to us," KCNA said.

The North Korean ballistic missile that flew over the Japanese archipelago was the first in five years to do so, with the projectile traveling the longest distance ever for a missile launched by Pyongyang, according to the Japanese government.

Since late September, the North has been conducting missile tests at a pace never before seen.

From the start of this year, North Korea has repeatedly launched ballistic missiles, and there are concerns that Pyongyang may be preparing to conduct what would be its seventh nuclear test and first since September 2017.

© Kyodo News