North Korea launched a ballistic missile Sunday morning from a site north of Pyongyang, South Korea`s military said, as President Moon Jae-in immediately convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) to discuss the issue, according to South Korea`s Yonhap news agency.
”North Korea fired an unidentified missile at around 5:27 a.m. today from an area in the vicinity of Kusong, North Pyongan Province,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement, Yonhap reported.
The projectile flew some 700 kilometers, it said, adding it`s analyzing more details.
The flight distance suggests a success of the missile test, the North`s first military provocation since the inauguration of Moon last week.
The Japanese government also announced that the North`s missile flew for half an hour and landed in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Moon is presiding over the NSC session that started at 7 a.m., according to his office Cheong Wa Dae.
The JCS said, ”Our military is maintaining a full defense posture, closely monitoring the North Korean military`s move.”
The North test-fired a Pukguksong-2 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), also known as KN-15, from the same site on Feb. 12.
Sunday`s launch was the North`s first-known missile test in two weeks.
