North Korea has fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea east of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea military says.
The missiles were fired on Tuesday morning from around Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province in North Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding it was closely sharing information with the United States and Japan while bolstering surveillance.
The launch was also flagged by the Japanese government.Â
Japan's coast guard said the projectile believed to be a ballistic missile fired by North Korea had already fallen, and NHK reported it appeared to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone in the ocean.
The latest launch follows North Korea's test last week of a huge new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile dubbed Hwasong-19, and comes hours before voting opens in the US presidential election.
North Korean state media KCNA on Tuesday published a report in which Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, condemned recent military drills by the United States, Japan and South Korea as threats and said they justify North Korea's nuclear reinforcement.
South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun noted in late October that North Korea "would want to exaggerate their existence around the season of the US presidential election before and after the election" by show of force such as an intercontinental missile test or another nuclear test.