(Tokyo) North Korea has fired a probable ballistic missile, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said on Monday.
The projectile fell into the sea outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, state broadcaster NHK reported, citing government officials.
The South Korean military has confirmed the launch, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo.
Pyongyang regularly carries out missile tests. On Saturday, “several cruise missiles” were launched in the Yellow Sea, between the Korean peninsula and China.
In mid-July, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally supervised the firing of the country’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile, the solid-fuel Hwasong-18.
Relations between the two Koreas are at an all-time low, with diplomacy stalled and Kim Jong-un calling for an accelerated arms race, including tactical nuclear weapons.
In response, Seoul and Washington conducted joint military exercises, incurring the ire of Pyongyang.
The launch announced Monday comes shortly before celebrations in North Korea of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War (1950-1953).
A Chinese delegation is due to travel to North Korea on this occasion in what will be the first visit by a foreign delegation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said.