N.Korea tests largest ICBM, White House condemns return to long-range launches

FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers opening remarks during the 2nd Conference of Secretaries of Primary Committees of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in this photo released on February 27, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea conducted what is thought to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test ever on Thursday, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said, marking a dramatic end to a self-imposed moratorium on long-range testing.

It would be the first full-capability launch of the nuclear-armed state's largest missiles since 2017, and represents a major step in Pyongyang's development of weapons that might be able to deliver nuclear warheads anywhere in the United States.