OUR North Korea They launched a short-range ballistic missile into the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean military said.

The missile was launched from Dongchan-ri on the west coast around 11:05 am. (04:05 Greek time), covered a distance of about 800 km before hitting the target, according to a statement from South Korea.

South Korea condemned North Korea’s recent spate of ballistic missile launches as a “clear violation” of a UN Security Council resolution. The launches also drew criticism from Japan and the United States.

“North Korea’s behavior threatens international peace and security and is unacceptable,” Japan’s Deputy Defense Minister Toshiro Ino told a press conference, adding that Japan had made a strong protest through the North Korean embassy in Beijing.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that today’s missile launch poses no immediate threat to US or allied personnel. But recent launches highlight the destabilizing impact of North Korea’s illegal weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, the source added.

North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Thursday, hours before the South Korean president traveled to Tokyo for a summit to discuss ways to resolve relations with North Korea.

Pyongyang announced Thursday through state news agency KCNA that the launch of its intercontinental ballistic missile was a warning against ongoing joint US-South Korean military exercises.

South Korean and US forces began early last week an 11-day joint military exercise called Freedom Shield 23, on a scale not seen since 2017, to counter growing threats from North Korea.

^{According to REUTERS, AFP, APE-MPE}