North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile: South Korea

North Korea on Sunday fired an unidentified ballistic missile into the East Sea, South Korea's military said, just days after a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier arrived ahead of joint drills.

South Korean military officials say North Korea has fired a suspected ballistic missile off its east coast, in its first known test since June.

This came after a US aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea to take part in joint exercises, and ahead of a scheduled visit by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Seoul said the launch was a "serious provocative act."

The United Nations bans North Korea from testing ballistic and nuclear weapons.

The South Korean military said it detected a short-range missile fired before 07:00 local time (23:00 GMT) near Taichun, more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Pyongyang.

She flew about 600 km at an altitude of 60 km.

"Our military maintains a posture of full readiness and cooperates closely with the United States while enhancing surveillance and vigilance," she said in a statement.

The Japanese Coast Guard confirmed the launch, warning the ships to "be vigilant".

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile reached a maximum altitude of about 50 kilometers and landed in waters off North Korea's east coast, outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

"It's North Korea's way of demonstrating the challenge of the [US] alliance," Su Kim, an analyst at Rand Corporation, told AFP.

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The USS Ronald Reagan-powered ship docked in the southern port city of Busan on Friday for a joint exercise off the east coast of South Korea. The South Korean navy said the exercises were for the "peace and stability of the Korean peninsula".

Ms. Harris will visit South Korea in the coming days as part of a trip to the region that will include the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen in the past year, with Pyongyang launching a number of ballistic missiles.

South Korea's president, Yoon Seok-yeol, who took office in May,

He promised a tougher stance on North Korea and pointed to closer ties with the United States.

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