SEOUL: North Korea has fired what has been described as an “unidentified projectile” into the sea, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Japanese coast guard, which first reported the launch, said it could potentially be a ballistic missile, but no confirmation has yet been given, BBC has reported.
The UN prohibits North Korea from ballistic and nuclear weapons tests, it said.
If confirmed, this would be the first such launch carried by Pyongyang this year, the BBC said.
“South Korean and US intelligence are closely analysing for further detail,” the JCS said in a statement.
The launch comes days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said that Pyongyang would continue to strengthen its defense capabilities due to an increasingly unstable military environment on the Korean peninsula.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the latest launch “very regrettable,” pointing to North Korea’s repeated testing of missiles since 2021.
(With inputs from BBC)
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