North Korea has fired a missile into the Sea of Japan as Kim Jong-un threatens the world once again.
North Korea's neighbours confirmed the launch, as Pyongyang ramps up testing activities in response to United States and South Korea carrying out large-scale military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.
Japan’s Defence Ministry and coast guard said that what appeared to be a North Korean missile was fired Sunday morning. They gave no further details.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency cited the South’s military as saying that North Korea had fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters.
Calls to the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff were not immediately answered on Sunday.
The launch, if confirmed, would be North Korea’s third round of weapons tests since the US and South Korean militaries began their joint military drills last week.
North Korea views the drills as a practice to launch an invasion, though the United States and South Korea have steadfastly said their training is defensive in nature.
The latest US-South Korean drills, which include computer simulations and field exercises, are to continue until Thursday.
The North Korean weapons recently tested included its longest-range Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, which is designed to strike the US mainland.
North Korea’s state media quoted leader Kim Jong-un as saying that the ICBM launch was meant to “strike fear into the enemies”.
Earlier this week the dictator leader called on the military to intensify missile test drills to simulate "real war".
"This is likely only the beginning of a series of provocative tests by North Korea," Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul told Al Jazeera last week.
The expert added: "Pyongyang is poised to respond aggressively to major U.S.-South Korea defence exercises, as well as to President Yoon's upcoming summits with Prime Minister Kishida and President Biden.
"The Kim regime may order missile firings of longer ranges, attempt a spy satellite launch, demonstrate a solid-fuel engine and perhaps even conduct a nuclear test."
Kim's sister, Kim Yo-jong, warned last week that any move to shoot down one of its test missiles would be considered a declaration of war.
South Korea's Unification Ministry has urged North Korea to stop raising tensions with "reckless nuclear and missile programs and military provocations".
Earlier this week North Korea said it had test-fired two cruise missiles from a submarine, the first time the country is known to have conducted a launch of that type. Its previous underwater launches all involved ballistic missiles.
It was also the first time North Korea fired multiple missiles from a submarine on a single launch event, observers say.
The US has recently sent long-range B-1B and B-52 bombers for several rounds of joint aerial drills with South Korean warplanes, to counter the growing threat of Kim’s growing nuclear arsenal.
