SEOUL: North Korea fired what could be a ballistic missile on Saturday, the Japanese military and South Korean media said.
The South Korean military said Pyongyang had fired a projectile off its east coast, and the Yonhap news agency said the military believed it was a ballistic missile.
Japan’s defence ministry also said on Twitter that the projectile could be a ballistic missile.
The latest development came as the United States said it believed Pyongyang may be preparing a nuclear test as soon as this month, its first since 2017, and renewed an offer of dialogue on rising tensions.
The test also comes just three days before the inauguration of Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative who has pledged to take a harder line on the North, as South Korea’s new president.
On Wednesday, North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea off its east coast, after vowing to develop its nuclear forces “at the fastest possible speed”.
Japan’s coast guard, citing information from its Defence Ministry, said on Saturday that North Korea had launched an object “likely to be a ballistic missile,” and warned its vessels to be aware.
The launch is the nuclear-armed country’s 15th weapons test so far this year.
Despite biting international sanctions over its weapons programmes, North Korea has dramatically ramped up testing this year while ignoring the United States’ offers of talks.
The Saturday test comes just a few days before South Korea’s new hawkish President Yoon Suk-yeol is inaugurated on Tuesday.