North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Saturday, South Korean military said, three days before the inauguration of South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol — who has vowed to take a hard line against the North — and the visit of the U.S. president.
South Korean military said North Korea fired what is believed to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) into the sea off its east coast around 0507 GMT on Saturday from near Sinpo, where North Korea keeps submarines as well as equipment for test-firing SLBMs.
Japan also said the projectile was a short-range ballistic missile. Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said North Korea's recent development in nuclear missile-related technology and repeated launches of ballistic missiles threatened the region and the international community.