North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Thursday, the latest in a series of launches amid heightened regional tensions, South Korea’s military said, Yonhap news agency reported.

An unidentified missile was launched into the waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, the agency reported with reference to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

North Korea’s military fired two more missiles during military exercises on Tuesday as joint US-South Korean military exercises began, Reuters reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered his military to step up military maneuvers for a “real war” amid missile launches witnessed by his daughter last week.

North Korea, a nuclear-armed nation, also tested two strategic cruise missiles on Sunday, which it launched from a submarine in the Sea of ​​Japan, a day before the United States and South Korea launched their most important joint military weapon. maneuvers over the past five years.

Earlier last week, North Korea accused the United States of “deliberately” stoking tensions, and Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, the country’s second most influential man, warned that if the United States intercepted one of Pyongyang’s missile tests, it would be seen as “declaration of war”.

Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul are at their lowest level in several years, with talks at a standstill.