SEOUL: A vice director-general in charge of Japanese affairs at North Korea's Foreign Ministry indicated Saturday the possibility of the country firing a ballistic missile toward waters near Japan in the near future, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

According to a statement reported by the news agency, the official criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for describing projectiles fired from a superlarge multiple rocket launch system into the Sea of Japan on Thursday as ballistic missiles.

Abe's "ignorance and stupidity" were fully brought to light when he argued that the projectiles were ballistic missiles, the statement said.

Only Abe claims that it was a missile firing, while the rest of the world recognizes the latest test firing as a rocket launch, it said.

Abe may see a real ballistic missile in the not-too-distant future and "under his nose," the official said, warning of a future missile launch. The statement advised Abe to study closely differences between a multiple launch rocket and a ballistic missile.

Firing a ballistic missile violates UN Security Council resolutions.

On Oct. 2, North Korea launched what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

JIJI Press