North Korea may have launched its ballistic missile from a submarine, Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The missile, believed to be a SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile), was launched from off the east coast near Wonsan and flew around 450 km.
"Our military is monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture," the JCS said, calling on Pyongyang to stop such acts that only escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
US Forces Korea said it is aware of the launch. "We are aware of reports of a possible North Korean missile launch. We are continuing to monitor the situation and consulting closely with our allies in the region," spokesman for US Forces Korea said.
According to the Japanese government, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan. One of the missiles reached Japan's exclusive economic zone near the Shimane prefecture. No damage to fishing boats was reported. North Korean missiles last reached Japan's exclusive economic zone in November 2017.
Since July 2019, North Korea has been regularly launching short-range ballistic missiles. In August, Pyongyang carried out five test-launches.
