North Korea launches ballistic missile 1,000 km into the sea, South says

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday from its western region into the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of launches in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.

Wednesday's launch, which occurred at about 7:50 a.m. Seoul time, was from a region in South Hwanghae province to the southwest of the capital, Pyongyang, South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

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South Korea's Yonhap News Agency cited a South Korean government source as saying the missile appeared to be a Rodong-type medium-range missile that flew about 1,000 kilometres.

South Korea's Defence Ministry was not immediately available for comment about the type of missile that was fired.

An official with South Korea's joint chiefs of staffsaidthelaunch, whichlanded in or near Japanese waters, shows
North Korea's "ambition to attack neighbouring countries."

On July 19, North Korea fired three ballistic missiles that flew between 500 kilometresand 600 kilometresinto the sea off its east coast.

The North later said the launches were part of an exercise simulating pre-emptive strikes against South Korean ports and airfields used by the U.S. military.

The launches follow the agreement last month between South Korea and the United States to deploy an advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defence anti-missile system in the South.

North Korea had threatened a "physical response" against the deployment decision.

Japan condemned the latest launch as a "serious threat" to its security and said its self-defence force would remain on alert in case of further launches.