SEOUL - North Korea launched a ballistic missile off its eastern coast on Sunday (Sept 20), its second test in roughly a week and days after Pyongyang accused the US of driving tensions on the Korean Peninsula through a series of military drills.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the test firing from the Wonsan area around 3pm, identifying the weapon as a ballistic missile. Japan's defence ministry also said it appeared to be a ballistic missile.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK said the projectile had come down outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
South Korea's National Security Council condemned the short-range missile launch, which follows a test on Sept 12. The council urged Pyongyang to immediately cease missile activity, warning that the test directly violated UN Security Council resolutions.
On Saturday, North Korea dismissed a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog against Pyongyang's nuclear programme.
Pyongyang last week also condemned a US-led naval drill which included South Korea and Japan and which ran from Aug 29 to Sept 10 near Guam.
North Korea's Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong-un, on Friday blamed US-led military drills for "ever-worsening" tensions on the Korean Peninsula and vowed no change in the country's course to strengthen its nuclear arsenal.
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