"My colleagues are investigating together with the Defense Ministry. We do not have clear information about the missile falling in Russia's exclusive economic zone," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said today about the progress of verifying the landing site of the missile test-launched by North Korea three days ago.

Mr. Rudenko added that North Korea's recent military actions were in response to moves by the US and its allies. The Russian diplomat said that the US was the one "provoking North Korea to develop its defense power."

North Korea test-fired the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a range of 15,000 km on July 12. This was North Korea's 12th missile launch this year, conducted less than a month after Pyongyang launched two ballistic missiles simultaneously from the Sunan area.

South Korean officials said the projectile was launched at a high angle and flew about 1,000 kilometers. Meanwhile, the Japanese Coast Guard recorded that the North Korean missile fell about 550 kilometers from the peninsula, outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. The missile reached a maximum altitude of 6,000 kilometers and flew for about 74 minutes.

Khaled Hairi, UN Assistant Secretary-General, told a Security Council meeting on July 13 that the North Korean missile may have fallen in Russia's exclusive economic zone. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on July 14 that Moscow did not have specific data to verify Hairi's statement.

North Korea releases video of Hwasong-18 ICBM test

The Hwasong-18 launch was personally supervised by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. North Korean media said the activity was to serve the country's goal of developing its tactical nuclear force and at the same time send a warning message to rival countries.

Pyongyang added that the test was calculated to ensure safety and not affect the security of neighboring countries.

Thanh Danh (According to Reuters, TASS, RIA )