North Korea fires ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan

North Korea carried out a new missile launch on Saturday morning from the Wonsan region on its east coast, according to South Korean and Japanese authorities.

The projectile is believed to have fallen into the sea about 700 kilometers from its launch point. According to Seoul and Tokyo, it may have been a ballistic missile, though both countries are continuing their analysis to confirm the exact nature of the device.

In response to the launch, the South Korean military stepped up its surveillance of the region and said it was coordinating its monitoring of the situation with the United States and Japan, as part of the usual cooperation among the three countries in response to North Korean tests.

This latest launch is part of a series of missile tests conducted by Pyongyang in recent years, which have regularly drawn condemnation from the international community and reignited tensions in the region.

South Korean and Japanese authorities have not yet said whether the launch affected air or maritime traffic in the area concerned.