After Threatening Of 'Strong' Action, North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Off East Coast, Says South Korea: Report

North Korea warned of an "unprecedentedly persistent, strong" response on Friday, as South Korea and the United States prepared for annual military exercises.

North Korea launches a ballistic missile into the sea: South Korea

Source : ANI

North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Saturday, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Al Jazeera reported.

North Korea's move comes ahead of next week's joint drills between the United States and South Korea in Washington.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, in reference to the Sea of Japan, that "North Korea fires an unidentified ballistic missile into [the] East Sea."

According to Al Jazeera, Japan's Coast Guard also stated that North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile.

The launch came a day after North Korea's Foreign Ministry threatened South Korea with "unprecedentedly" strong action after it announced the planned military exercises, as per the report. 

According to the South Korean military, North Korea launched two medium-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea in December.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea said it detected the launches between 11:13 am and 12:05 pm (local time) from the Tongchang-RI area of North Pyongan Province.

The missiles were fired at steep angles and flew around 500 kilometres, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

According to the JCS, South Korean, and US intelligence agencies have been conducting analysis for further details regarding North Korea's recent missile actions.

Pyongyang may have formed a military unit charged with operating new intercontinental ballistic missiles as part of its recent military reform, according to official television video footage from a February 9 parade.

Once a single nation captured by Japan in 1910, the Korean Peninsula has been partitioned into North Korea and South Korea since the end of WWII on September 2, 1945. In 1948, the two governments were established in the two regions, resulting in the cementing of division.

(With Inputs From Agencies)