North Korea has conducted its seventh missile test in the past month, adding to the tense political situation around the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing ©Getty Images

North Korea has conducted its biggest missile launch since 2017 according to Japanese and South Korean officials, adding to regional tension in the build-up to the Winter Olympics here.

The missile reportedly reached an altitude of 2,000 kilometres and flew for 30 minutes before landing in the Sea of Japan.

Japan, South Korea and the United States have all criticised the launch, which defies a United Nations ban on ballistic and nuclear weapons tests.

North Korea has reportedly conducted seven tests in January, one more than was conducted by the nation throughout the duration of 2021.

According to the Associated Press, experts believe North Korea could halt its recent surge in tests during the 2022 Winter Olympics out of respect to China.

China is North Korea's biggest ally and trading partner globally, amid a series of international sanctions imposed over Pyongyang's nuclear programme and missile tests.

North Korea had previously claimed it supported the Games "despite all the obstructions and difficulties in unity around General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China".

North Korea will not send a team to Beijing 2022 after its National Olympic Committee was suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in September.

The IOC claimed it had breached the Olympic Charter by "failing to fulfil their obligation" to send athletes to Tokyo 2020.

The latest missile test is believed to have been North Korea's biggest since 2017, which saw escalating tensions between the nation and the United States.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was pictured at one of the missile launches earlier this month ©Getty Images
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was pictured at one of the missile launches earlier this month ©Getty Images

A thaw began when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un surprisingly announced the nation was willing to participate at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang in a New Year's message, which led to rare high-level talks being held between North Korea and South Korea.

A high-level North Korea delegation, including leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong, attended Pyeongchang 2018, an event marked by the historic inclusion of a unified Korean team in the women's ice hockey tournament.

The visit paved the way for an inter-Korean summit in April 2018, the first of three summits between Kim and South Korean President Moon-Jae-In.

Former American President Donald Trump held high-profile talks with Kim in 2019, but tensions have since increased, highlighted by North Korea's destruction of a joint liaison office on its side of the border.

US President Joe Biden introduced further sanctions on North Korea earlier this month in response to the resumption of missile tests.

The missile tests have added to international tensions, which have largely centred on a Russian troop build up on the Ukrainian border.

The United Nations (UN) earlier this month issued a "solemn appeal" calling for the Olympic Truce to be respected during the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing. 

The truce is to run from seven days before the beginning of the Winter Olympics on Friday (February 4) until seven days after the end of the Paralympics.

The truce was passed despite the IOC facing intense criticism for awarding the Games to Beijing, amid concerns over China's human rights record.