The State Department in Washington is seen in this undated file photo. Yonhap

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday criticized North Korea's ballistic missile launch this week and called on the recalcitrant regime to return to dialogue, after Pyongyang fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile.

The North fired the missile into the East Sea from a site in or around Pyongyang on Tuesday morning (Korea time), according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"The United States condemns the DPRK's April 2 ballistic missile launch," the spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"This launch, like the DPRK's other ballistic missile launches in recent years, took place in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions," the official added.

The spokesperson reiterated Washington's calls for reengagement with Pyongyang.

"We remain committed to a diplomatic approach to the DPRK and call on the DPRK to engage in dialogue," the official said, noting the North's missile launches pose a threat to regional security.

Military officials in Seoul put weight on the possibility of the North having tested an intermediate-range missile equipped with a hypersonic warhead.

Last month, the North claimed to have successfully conducted a ground jet test of a solid-fuel engine for a new intermediate hypersonic missile. (Yonhap)