The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile eastward on Sunday, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the Republic of Korea's (ROK) Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), amid rising tension in the region.
The JCS said the launch from the DPRK's northern Jagang province was detected at 7:52 a.m. local time and that the projectile flew around 800 kilometers at an altitude of 2,000 km.
Japan said the missile splashed down outside its exclusive economic zone, and there was no immediate report of damage to ships and aircraft in the area.
ROK President Moon Jae-in, in a swift response, called for the DPRK to stop raising tension as he convened a National Security Council (NSC) meeting after the launch.
Moon called the latest launch "a challenge for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and diplomatic efforts by the international community, as well as an act that violates the UN Security Council resolution."
The Japanese government on Sunday said the move was in violation of UN Security Council resolutions and has lodged a strong protest with Pyongyang.
Japanese media said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will convene a meeting of the National Security Council on the matter later on Sunday.
The United States condemned the launch and called on Pyongyang to refrain from further destabilizing acts, the U.S. military's Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement on Sunday.
The statement said the command assessed that the test did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. territory, personnel or allies.
Sunday's launch was the 7th such test in January.
The DPRK fired a hypersonic missile on January 5 and January 11, two railway-borne short-range ballistic missiles on January 14, two tactical guided missiles on January 17, a long-range cruise missile on January 25, and a surface-to-surface tactical guided missile on January 27.
(With input from agencies)
(Cover: People at a railway station in Seoul watch a TV news broadcast showing file footage of a DPRK missile test, January 30, 2022. /CFP)