President Yoon Suk Yeol has warned that North Korea will pay for its reckless provocation after the North fired a long-range ballistic missile on Thursday morning.

Yoon issued the warning as he attended a National Security Council(NSC) meeting before departing for a two-day trip to Japan for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Receiving a report on the North's missile launch from National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han, Yoon ordered the military to thoroughly conduct ongoing Freedom Shield joint drills with the United States to maintain readiness against North Korea.

The emergency NSC session presided over by Kim was attended by top security and defense officials, including foreign minister Park Jin and defense minister Lee Jong-sup.

The NSC strongly condemned the North's missile launches as violations of UN Security Council resolutions as well as serious provocations that raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threaten regional peace and security.