South Korea’s military said on Thursday that North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast.
The launch came after North Korea issued a protest to live fire drills conducted by South Korea in conjunction with the United States.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said the North had fired a ballistic missile.
Several thousand South Korean and US troops took part in a joint live-fire exercise on Thursday as tensions escalated in the region following North Korea’s failed attempt to launch a spy satellite last month.
In response to the exercise, North Korea said its military would respond strongly to “any protest or provocation by enemies”.
Pyongyang unsuccessfully tried to launch a spy satellite late last month, in its first such attempt since 2016, after the rocket booster and payload plunged into the sea.