North Korea Fires Suspected Ballistic Missile, Japan Says
The launch, detected off North Korea's east coast, is the second such weapons test in less than a week.
North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward the sea on Wednesday, Japan's Defense Ministry said, marking the second such weapons launch in less than a week.
The ministry said the suspected weapon landed in the waters. South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing the country's military, reported that North Korea fired an unidentified projectile off its east coast.
The reported launch comes two days after South Korea and the United States announced they will begin their annual large-scale military drills, called Ulchi Freedom Shield, next week to strengthen readiness against North Korean threats. The exercises are expected to draw an angry response from Pyongyang, which views the drills as a rehearsal for an invasion.
North Korea has previously responded to major joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises with provocative weapons tests and harsh rhetoric.
Last week, South Korea, the United States and Japan detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from North Korea, in what was the North's first ballistic weapons testing activity since late June. North Korea did not confirm that reported launch, though it typically releases details of its weapons tests a day after they occur.
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