Seoul: South Korea's military on Thursday denounced North Korea's latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) as an "illicit and reckless" provocation and warned the North will be held "wholly" accountable for all measures to follow. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) issued the stern warning, hours after North Korea launched what appeared to be a new type of solid-fuel ICBM toward the East Sea earlier in the day. According to Yonhap News Agency, Maj. Gen. An Chan-myong addressed a press briefing, expressing the military's condemnation of the Kim Jong-un regime's actions and urging North Korea to immediately cease all activities that threaten peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the broader international community. This includes the continued sending of trash balloons, the deployment of mercenaries to Russia, and preparations for a nuclear test. The JCS highlighted that North Korea's ICBM launch is a "clear" violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, emphasizing that the North will be held accountable for the consequences of its ongoing provocations. The launch marks North Korea's first ICBM test in about a year and coincides with joint condemnation from the defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States regarding North Korea's troop deployment to Russia. The South Korean military suggests that the North's actions may be an attempt to gain leverage ahead of the U.S. presidential election next week, amidst increased scrutiny and criticism over its military activities. The JCS assured that it will maintain full readiness, with defense chiefs from Seoul and Washington agreeing to demonstrate their commitment to a response by conducting various measures, including combined drills involving U.S. strategic assets.