North Korea has fired at least one unidentified projectile, the South Korean military said, quoted by Agence France-Presse. Later, Japanese authorities also reported an alleged launch of a ballistic missile into the sea, BTA reports.
The launch came just hours after US President Donald Trump said he planned to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year. Trump also said Pyongyang has 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons.
According to the South Korean military, the projectile was fired from North Korea's east coast. Japan described the launch as likely ballistic, but no details were initially given about the type of missile or its exact route.
The new launch comes a day after Kim Jong-un's influential sister, Kim Yo-jong, described the decision by the United States and South Korea to scale down their joint military exercises as insignificant and said Pyongyang continued to view the exercises as provocative.
Despite Washington's attempts to resume diplomatic contact, Pyongyang has demonstrated that it continues to develop its missile capabilities. This creates additional tension around the possible resumption of dialogue between Trump and Kim.
Trump and Kim held meetings in 2018 and 2019, but negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program subsequently failed. Now the US president is again seeking personal contact with the North Korean leader, while Pyongyang continues to strengthen its military potential.