(LEAD) Presidential transition team calls N.K. ICBM launch 'serious provocation'

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, background from para 3; ADDS photo)

SEOUL, March 24 (Yonhap) -- The transition team of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday strongly condemned North Korea's firing of an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) towards the East Sea.

The transition committee said in a statement that the ICBM launch "was a serious provocation that threatens our security," adding that it was in "direct violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions."

The team stressed the need to "strongly deal" with the North by cooperating with the international community based on the cooperation between Seoul and Washington.

It also urged the outgoing administration under President Moon Jae-in to come up with "firm measures" against the North's threats and secure the country's public safety.

The North's latest launch came as South Korean and U.S. military authorities have warned that Pyongyang was preparing for a launch of its biggest intercontinental ballistic missile.

South Korea's military said the North's missile reached a maximum altitude of 6,200 kilometers and flew 1,080 kilometers. North Korea had not launched an ICBM since 2017.

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