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North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its east coast early Wednesday, its second such launch in less than a week, days before South Korea and the U.S. begin major joint military exercises, according to Seoul's military.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missile was launched from the Wonsan area around 6:00 a.m. local time (9:00 p.m. GMT) Tuesday, toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
The missile traveled more than 700 kilometers, or 435 miles, before falling into the sea, the JCS said. South Korea, the U.S. and Japan were analyzing its specifications.
Yonhap News Agency reported that the range indicated the launch likely involved a short-range ballistic missile, which typically travels between 300 and 1,000 kilometers.
No injuries or damage were reported.
Japan's Defense Ministry also detected what it described as a suspected ballistic missile and said it appeared to have already fallen.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called the launch a "threat to peace and security in our region" and said Tokyo had lodged a strong protest with North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing, AFP reported.
"North Korea's ballistic missile launches violate U.N. Security Council resolutions, and its actions pose a threat to the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community," Koizumi was separately quoted as saying by Kyodo News Agency.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed government agencies to gather and analyze information, provide accurate updates to the public and ensure the safety of aircraft and vessels.
South Korea's National Security Office convened an emergency meeting with defense and military officials shortly after the launch, calling recent missile tests "provocative acts" and urging Pyongyang to immediately stop them.
The launch came six days after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea.
South Korea and the U.S. are scheduled to begin their 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise on Monday.
The annual summer drills are intended to prepare the allies to defend against nuclear-armed North Korea.
Pyongyang has repeatedly condemned the exercises as rehearsals for an invasion and has previously launched missiles before and after the drills.
"North Korea has never simply let a South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise pass without a response," Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University, told AFP.
"This is a message that Pyongyang is closely watching the upcoming drills and could stage a provocation if it deems one necessary."
The exercise will involve 18,000 South Korean troops and personnel from the 28,500-strong U.S. military contingent stationed in the country.
Col. Ryan Donald, spokesperson for the U.S.-South Korean Combined Forces Command, said Monday that the drills would prepare troops for the possibility of confronting North Korean soldiers who have gained battlefield experience through deployment in Europe.
North Korean troops have "taken those lessons they learned there and brought them back to North Korea," Donald said.
"Our training accounts for that threat."
North Korea has also recently intensified criticism of Japan, accusing the former regional colonial power of remilitarizing.
Japan has maintained a pacifist policy but has increased military spending, expanded defense partnerships and deployed missile launchers to its outer islands.
Koizumi said last week that Japan needed to strengthen its military with a "sense of urgency and crisis."
Pyongyang responded by condemning what it called Japan's "transformation into a war state" and shortly afterward fired a short-range ballistic missile from its east coast, according to Seoul's military.
Tokyo's governor last week announced plans to convert a 13,000-square-meter, or 140,000-square-foot, underground parking facility near Tokyo Station into a missile shelter.
North Korean missiles have previously flown over Japan, triggering warning sirens, smartphone alerts and special television broadcasts.
Japan had 61,142 shelters as of April 2025, but fewer than 7% were underground, according to government data.
North Korea has taken a more active role in international conflicts, notably through its support for Russia's war in Ukraine.
Ukraine accused Russia on Tuesday of using North Korean missiles in an attack that killed 10 people and wounded dozens.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also said, without providing evidence, that Moscow has been receiving additional ballistic missiles and troops from Pyongyang.
Experts say North Korea has received financial and military benefits from Russia in exchange for its support, while its troops have gained experience on modern battlefields.
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