North Korea fires ballistic missile into eastern waters

Seoul : North Korea fired what is believed to be a ballistic missile into its eastern waters early Sunday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The presumed intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile was launched at around 7:55 a.m. local time (2255 GMT Saturday) near Banghyeon in North Pyongan province of North Korea, Xinhua news agency reported.

The projectile is estimated to have travelled about 500 km, according to the JCS. It landed in waters off North Korea's east coast, according to local media reports.

Pyongyang test-fired Musudan missiles near the same place, where an airfield is located, in October last year.

It was North Korea's first test-launch of a ballistic missile in 2017 and also the first since US President Donald Trump took office on January 20.

South Korea's military said Pyongyang's launch of ballistic missile was a provocative act in violation of UN Security Council's resolutions, which ban North Korea from testing any ballistic missile technology.

The launch, the military believed, was aimed at drawing attention by showing off its nuclear and missile capability and was also part of armed protest against the Trump administration's hard-line stance toward North Korea.