N. Korea fires missile into East Sea

[KCNA/YONHAP]

SEOUL, April 02 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea has fired a missile into the East Sea, South Korea's Joint Chief of Staff said on Tuesday. This is Pyongyang's first missile test fire in 15 days after North Korea carried out a firing drill for ballistic projectiles on February 18.

"We detected a projectile, suspected of a mid-range ballistic missile, that was launched from an area near Pyongyang at 6:53 a.m. (2153 GMT) this morning into the East Sea," The Joint Chief of Staff said, adding that South Korea's military is maintaining its readiness while closely sharing information with allies including the United States and Japan to prepare for a case of an extra missile launch.

While South Korea's military headquarters did not disclose details about the missile's trajectory, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported, citing a Japanese military official, that Pyongyang's ballistic missile was speculated to have landed in the sea just outside of the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

During the last few months, Pyongyang boosted its development speed for high-tech weaponry including new hypersonic missiles and strategic cruise missiles. North Korea tested a solid propellant hypersonic ballistic missile that was launched from a facility near Pyongyang on January 14, followed by a test operation of an underwater drone capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

North Korea has conducted a total of nine missile drills for mid-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, underwater drones, hypersonic missiles, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles between January and April 2.