SEOUL: North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan from Pyongyang around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the South Korean military.

The military also said that the launch seems to have failed.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said that the ballistic missile reached a maximum altitude of about 100 kilometers and traveled over 200 kilometers before falling into waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.

A South Korean military official told reporters that the missile exploded in midair above the Sea of Japan, and that Pyongyang is believed to have test-launched a solid-fuel hypersonic missile.

It was North Korea’s first ballistic missile launch since May 30.

The launch followed the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt’s port call at the South Korean city of Busan on Saturday.

In a statement Monday, North Korean Vice Minister of National Defense Kim Kang Il said that his country may demonstrate its new deterrent force in response to what it sees as provocative attempts of the United States and South Korea.

Following the launch, Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio instructed his government to make full efforts to gather information and prepare for contingencies. There has been no report of damage from the missile to aircraft or vessels.

Tokyo lodged a stern protest with North Korea, slamming the launch as “a serious problem involving citizens’ safety that violates U.N. Security Council resolutions.”

Japan, South Korea and the United States held telephone talks among senior officials for North Korean affairs.

The three sides shared the view that the latest launch threatens the peace and stability of the region and the international community, and confirmed their close cooperation.

JIJI Press