According to South Korean military sources, North Korea has conducted its first known test since June by firing what seems to be a ballistic missile off its east coast.
It happened shortly after a US aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea to take part in joint exercises and before Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to arrive.
The launch, according to Seoul, was a “act of severe provocation.”
North Korea is not allowed to test nuclear or ballistic missiles, according to the UN.
A short-range missile fired at shortly before 07:00 local time (23:00 GMT) near Taechon, more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Pyongyang, was reportedly detected, according to the military of South Korea. It claimed to have travelled 600 miles at a height of 60 km.
In a statement, it claimed that “our military maintains a full readiness posture and is closely collaborating with the US while boosting monitoring and vigilance.”
The coast guard of Japan announced the launch and advised ships to “be careful.” Yasukazu Hamada, Tokyo’s defence minister, reported that the missile, which fell in waters off North Korea’s eastern coast and outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, reached a maximum altitude of around 50 miles.
