North Korea launched a missile from its southeastern port city of Wonsan at about 6am on Wednesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The suspected ballistic missile flew about 700km eastward before landing in the Sea of Japan. Japan said it likely fell just outside its special economic zone.
The launch took place ahead of upcoming US-South Korea military exercises. According to observers, it may be a test of upgraded weapons that Pyongyang could export to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. The Joint Chiefs of Staff did not specify the missile's launch angle or how it was classified.