North Korea fired a ballistic missile, South Korean military says

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday toward the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast, South Korea's military said.



The missile appeared to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the sea, NHK reported.



North Korea fired the missile from the Wonsan area at around 6 a.m. (2100 GMT on Tuesday), South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.



South Korea's military had stepped up surveillance and was maintaining readiness for possible additional launches, while closely sharing information with the United States and Japan, it said.



The launch comes as South Korea and the United States plan to conduct major joint military drills from August 17 to 27 to counter North Korea's evolving nuclear and weapons capabilities. Pyongyang has in previous years denounced the annual drills as a provocation.