North Korea has launched what is believed to be a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, Seoul says.
“North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile into the East Sea from the vicinity of Banghyon, North Pyongan province, at around 9:40am,” said South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff early on Tuesday.
The latest test comes just hours after US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to exert added pressure on North Korea over its missile and nuclear development programs.
Trump and Abe also agreed to hold trilateral talks on the subject of Pyongyang's nuclear activities with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit, which begins Friday in Germany.
On June 3, the United Nations Security Council imposed a fresh array of sanctions on North Korea in response to a number of missile tests carried out by Pyongyang this year.
Unsettled by North Korean missile and nuclear programs, the US has adopted a war-like posture, sending a strike group and conducting joint military drills with North Korea’s regional adversaries Japan and South Korea.
The US also recently deployed an advanced missile system on South Korean soil to counter potential threats from the North, angering Pyongyang.
