North Korea fires missile off east coast, South Korea, Japan say

SEOUL -North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Monday towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said.

A Japanese government alert and its coast guard also said North Korea had fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile. The projectile appeared to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone area, the NHK broadcaster said.

Japan's NTV broadcaster said the projectile was a short-range ballistic missile, citing a Japanese government official.


The two countries' governments did not immediately have further details.

North Korea said last week that it had test-launched a strategic cruise missile to test a large warhead, and a new anti-aircraft missile.

Earlier in April, the North fired a new hypersonic missile as part of its development of solid-fuelled missiles for all ranges of its arsenal.

The North has defied a ban by the United Nations Security Council on developing ballistic missiles, rejecting Council resolutions as infringing on its sovereign right to defend itself.