North Korea launched a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan on Monday, reports the Yonhap News Agency (YNA), citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea (JCS).
The JCS stated that they detected the launch of a projectile, presumably a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM), around noon (06:00 Kyiv time) from Pyongyang.
"In preparation for new launches, our military has increased monitoring, (...) sharing information about the North Korean missile with American and Japanese counterparts," the JCS report said.
The Japan Coast Guard also reported the missile launch carried out by Pyongyang.
It is reported that the missile has presumably already fallen.
The missile was launched while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Seoul for talks with his South Korean counterpart regarding efforts to deter North Korean threats.
The launch occurred two weeks before the inauguration of the elected U.S. President Donald Trump on January 20.